SPEC I A L
Amsterdam A C I T Y I N 90,0 0 0 OBJ EC TS
The storage facility of the Amsterdam Museum BE N E AT H T H E SU R FAC E
The restoration of The Baptism of Christ by Jan van Scorel C A P T U R I NG A N I M A L S ON C A N VA S
Artistic inspiration in Artis Royal Zoo •PLUS•
THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE 8 7 1 7 9 53 055682
Bonebakker Juweliers, Conservatorium Hotel, Van Baerlestraat 27 1071 AN Amsterdam, Netherlands www.bonebakker.nl, tel +31 206737577
E DI T OR I A L
AMSTERDAM’S GOT IT While visiting a colleague in New York earlier this year, I came across the English-language spring edition of Vernis. The magazine was neatly displayed among a range of American and international art magazines and was half concealed by a renowned English-language art magazine. Obviously, I could not resist and had to put Vernis at the front of the display, so that our magazine was visible in all its glory and with its full cover. That
edition, which focused on TEFAF, was the first to appear in both Dutch and English. This is actually quite logical, given the international nature of the art world; both TEFAF and PAN have exhibitors and visitors from dozens of countries. During TEFAF, we already realized that there was a great demand for the English edition, which we incidentally did not call Varnish, but simply Vernis (with a French accent). It was notable that the edition – Dutch and English – was not only snapped up by art and antiques lovers, but that we also received numerous requests from hotels, restaurants, luxury brands and other companies on the periphery of the art world. It therefore goes without saying that we will continue to publish Vernis both in Dutch and in English. The passion for art is not bound by language, culture or borders. It is this passion for art and antiques that we want to transmit through Vernis. In this issue we have chosen to focus on the city of Amsterdam. This is no coincidence: as the most recent autumn 2015
exhibition in the Rijksmuseum, ‘Asia > Amsterdam’, underscores, Amsterdam was, as Claes Jansz. Visscher II (1587-1652) said, “the trading capital of the entire world”. When you look around as you walk through the capital today, you are regularly reminded of this fact. We visited the storage facility of the Amsterdam Museum and delved into the history of the relationship between the Amsterdam zoo Artis and the world of art. Marie Cécile Thijs’ stunning photos for the ‘Ensemble’ section are also largely dedicated to the Dutch capital. One of the most fascinating stories in this edition is set just outside Amsterdam, in Haarlem. It is the article by Jettie Rozemond (perhaps you recognize the name of this former contributor to Vernis) about the restoration of the painting ‘The Baptism of Christ’ by Jan van Scorel (1495-1562). This story provides a very interesting insight into the way in which a painting is restored. As such, it is symbolic of Vernis: an original and modern view on the wonderful world of art and antiques. We hope that you will enjoy reading this edition as much as we enjoyed compiling it.
Robert D. Aronson
Chairman Koninklijke Vereeniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst vernis#09
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Restoration Jan van Scorel When necessary, artworks are thoroughly restored before they are displayed at art fairs or in galleries and museums. Vernis looks in on an unusual restoration project at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.
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The history of Artis art Established in 1838, ‘Natura Artis Magistra’ was a cultural and scientific attraction with a broad cultural role. Many Amsterdam artists visited the zoo to study, draw, paint and sculpt the wild animals. Vernis delves into the history of Artis art.
The vetting expert
F E AT U R E S... 003 | Editorial 004 | Contents 011 | Trouvailles 029 | Column Ivo Weyel 004
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050
039 | C olumn Yvo van Regteren Altena
078 | Books 080 | M embership list Koninklijke VHOK
These days neither PAN nor TEFAF can do without the occasionally harsh judgement of vetting experts. But what exactly do these experts do? And how far does their power extend? Chairman of the PAN committee of antique dealers Jacques Fijnaut sees tensions rise during the vetting process. autumn 2015
One of the world’s largest collections of Delftware. The international story of a Dutch icon. www.gemeentemuseum.nl / delftware
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The history of the art trade
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The art trade is like art itself. Over the centuries the focus has shifted via guilds and auctions to specialized experts. A journey through time.
Hidden pieces of the city The storage facility of the Amsterdam Museum is located in a modern citadel overlooking the IJ-harbour. Vernis discovered the more than 90,000 objects in the Collection Centre, from civic guard portraits to Ajax memorabilia.
A L SO... 026 | My favourite piece Project developer Maarten de Gruyter likes the fighting spirit of this 100-year-old Japanese box.
036 | My favourite piece Hendrikje Crebolder, Head of Development at the
Rijksmuseum, was born in Africa – just like the girl in the photo by Rineke Dijkstra.
040 | C ourse programme Learn from an old master. 048 | In focus Amsterdam has a wide range of art and culture on offer. Vernis makes an unexpected choice.
082 | Future antique Tulip vase II by Daan Brouwer. 006
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Ensemble Amsterdam Canals, tulips and trinkets: a thematic selection of the objects on offer at the members of Koninklijke VHOK, photographed by Marie Cécile Thijs. autumn 2015
D E E I G E N T I J D S E B E U R S V O O R K U N S T, ANTIEK EN DESIGN
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NOVEMBER 2015
C OL OPHON
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VOLUME 05 #09
Editor-in-chief
Mischa van de Woestijne Managing editor
Melinda Braaksma / Edit Value (melinda@editvalue.nl) English translation
Francesca de Châtel, Cecily Layzell (proofing) Art direction
Antoine Hamers / Wolk Ontwerp (antoine@wolkontwerp.nl) Publisher and magazine concept
Mischa van de Woestijne / MI7 Media Intelligence (mischa@mi7.nl) Contributors TEXT
Onno Aerden, Aya Langeveld, Yvo van Regteren Altena, Jettie Rozemond, Ivo Weyel, Mischa van de Woestijne PHOTOGR APHY
Peter Boer, Friso Keuris, Tekenteam.nl, Marie Cécile Thijs Other photos by: A.J.W. de Veer through Central Bureau for Genealogy, Veenhuijzen Photo Collection; Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem; Kees Kuil, Amsterdam through Kunsthandel Dolf D. van Omme, Amsterdam; Mauritshuis, The Hague; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Stadsarchief Amsterdam; TEFAF With special thanks to
Robert Aronson, Caroline Eschbach, Ilse Daatselaar, Frouke Jorna, Paul Wullems Advertising, subscriptions and back issues
Koninklijke Vereeniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst in Nederland Damrak 375 NL-1012 ZJ Amsterdam TELEPHONE +31 (0)20-6238904 E-MAIL info@kvhok.nl INTERNET www.kvhok.nl Printing
Van Aalst Printmanagement, Zaandijk Distribution
The English edition of Vernis has a print run of 18,000 copies. Vernis is distributed through the members of the Koninklijke VHOK and at the main art fairs in the Netherlands and Belgium. vernis MAGAZINE OF THE ROYAL ASSOCIATION OF FINE ART DEALERS IN THE NETHERLANDS (KVHOK)
SPEC I A L
Amsterdam A C I T Y I N 90,0 0 0 OBJ EC TS
VOLUME 05
The storage facility of the Amsterdam Museum BE N E AT H T H E SU R FAC E
AUTUMN 2015 #09
The restoration of The Baptism of Christ by Jan van Scorel C A P T U R I NG A N I M A L S ON C A N VA S
Artistic inspiration in Artis Royal Zoo •PLUS•
THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE 8 7 1 7 9 5 3 055682
Cover UK.indd 1
26-10-15 10:22
COVER IMAGE: FROM THE FEATURE DEPOT ON THE AMSTERDAM MUSEUM (SEE PAGE 56) PHOTOGRAPHY: PETER BOER © 2015 KVHOK/MI7 MEDIA INTELLIGENCE VERNIS IS A PUBLICATION OF THE KVHOK AND MI7 MEDIA INTELLIGENCE. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, INCORPORATED IN AN ELECTRONIC DATABASE OR PUBLISHED, IN ANY FORM, WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE RIGHT HOLDERS. (COPYRIGHT ACT, ARTICLE 15) ISSN 2211-4017
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Afbeelding: Francois du Plessis book object, galerie Chiefs & Spirits
10 -17 april 2016 | CHASSEVELD BREDA
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Een paar sublieme zilveren suikerstrooiers. Dirk Evert Grave | Amsterdam | 1772 | 22 cm. hoog
PAN 2015 | Stand 20
Kunsthandel Jacques Fijnaut bv, Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 31, 1017 DC Amsterdam, T +31 (0)20 625 63 74, M +31 (0)6 14318052 www.kunsthandelfijnaut.nl
office@kunsthandelfijnaut.nl
openingstijden: op afspraak
T ROU VA I L L E S
The remarkable stories about the origin of antique pieces and how they were (re)located often add great value to rare art objects. Vernis presents the most interesting anecdotes about some unique pieces on the market.
TROUVAILLES SPECIAL THANKS TO
Caroline Eschbach
FONTIJN ANTIEK
Silver pillar or cylinder sundial This type of sundial uses the height of the sun (altitude) instead of the direction (azimuth) to indicate the time. The top of the hollow cylinder can be lifted and has a small hole on the side through which one of the two chiselled gnomons can
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be inserted. Such early silver pillar sundials are very rare.
Origin France, third quarter of the 17th century Material and technique Silver Dimensions H 11.5, W 5 cm Price Upon request
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FRIDES LAMÉRIS KUNST EN ANTIEK
Part of a coffee and tea set painted with birds Dutch porcelain enthusiasts mainly know the French porcelain painter Louis Victor Gerverot (1747 - 1829) for his work for Weesp (in 1768 - 69) and Loosdrecht (from 1775 - 1778). His work is characterized by beautiful fantasy birds with strange plumage, unusual poses and often piercing eyes. This coffee and tea set perfectly
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illustrates the itinerant existence of many porcelain painters who offered their services in different places. While this small coffee and tea set with its characteristic birds is unsigned, it is unmistakeably the work of Louis Victor Gerverot. This set was not made in The Netherlands but marked with the wheel for Höchst
(Germany) in blue underglaze. This is where he worked from 1771 until 1773.
Provenance Art trade Origin Höchst, Germany, 1771-1773 Material and technique Porcelain Dimensions Coffeepot with lid, H around 23 cm Price Upon request
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T ROU VA I L L E S
B A ST I NG S & VA N T U I J L BV
Wall painting Rupelmonde aan de Vecht This painting is one of a series of nine commissioned by Stephanus de Clercq in 1796. They were displayed in the rooms of Herengracht 94 in Amsterdam from 1797 to 1919 when they were removed during an expansion. After this their whereabouts were unknown until the autumn of 2014. Later it emerged that the works had been located in Westzaan between 1919 and 1972. The image shows the estate Rupelmonde aan de Vecht with the commissioner of the work St. de Clercq on the right bank.
Origin Manufactured at the Nederlandsche Behangsel Maatschappij in Hoorn, The Netherlands, around 1797 Material and technique Oil on canvas Dimensions H 275 x W 220 cm Price Upon request
M A RJA N STERK A NTIQUA IR JU W ELIER
Art Deco table clock The degree of perfection achieved in Cartier’s jewels is also apparent in their clocks, as this Art Deco table clock shows. Cartier used unusual materials: this clock is not only decorated with mirror glass and lacquer, but also with red coral. The clock face is made of a single piece of mother-of-pearl. The colours in this fine Art Deco design accentuate the strong architectural style and almost make the clock look like a sculpture. The original casing has been preserved, which means that this clock was always handled with loving care.
Origin Paris, France, around 1925 Material and technique Mirror glass, lacquer, coral, mother-of-pearl, brass, enamel Dimensions Base: 17.5 x 8.5 cm; H 16 cm. Price Upon request
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SIMONIS & BUUNK
Lily Simonis & Buunk recently acquired this charcoal drawing of a lily by Piet Mondriaan from a private owner. Mondriaan lived in Paris from June 1911 and from then on signed almost all his works only with P. Mondrian, as he did here. It is widely known that he regularly painted flowers to support himself. In the early 1920s, when Mondriaan had a very small income, he again started making serene flower motives for the art market. A similar aquarelle painting is part of the Sidney Janis Family Collections in New York. In the catalogue raisonné it is nevertheless dated in the early 1920s, albeit with reservations.
Provenance Private collection, The Netherlands Origin Signed and can be dated around 1912 Material and technique Charcoal on paper Dimensions 25.9 x 19 cm Price € 50,000
GUDE & MEIS ANTIEKE KLOKKEN
French gilt and patinated ‘Locomotive’ clock In the second half of the 19th century, the French firm Guilmet made a series of industrial-revolution-themed clocks. This train is one of the largest and most beautiful examples and features a clock, a barometer, a thermometer and a compass, as well as a separate mechanism that turns the wheels for a couple of hours. Many people are surprised and amused by the combination, making this a real conversation piece!
Provenance Austria, private collection, purchased from the grandson of the first owner Origin France, around 1890 Material and technique Gilt and patinated bronze, marble Dimensions H 45 x W 47 x D 23 cm Price Upon request
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T ROU VA I L L E S
HEUTINK IKONEN
Icon of Nicolas the Wonderworker This icon is featured in the book Gouden Licht – Meesterwerken der Ikonenkunst published by the Royal Museum for Fine Arts in Antwerp, 1988, p. 166-167, nr. 148. It is now on sale at Heutink Ikonen.
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Provenance Private collection, Belgium Origin Novgorod, Russia, mid-15th century (with 19th-century overpaintings) Material and technique Egg-tempera on gesso on wood Dimensions 60.5 x 44 cm Price Upon request
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GALERIE TINY ESVELD
Woman with child Demétre Chiparus (18861947) is especially known for his bronze sculptures of sensual dancers. His earlier more modest, realistic sculptures are less well known. This woman’s expression and her emotion are endearing. A highly detailed and sought-after work.
Provenance Private collection, France Origin France, around 1920 Material and technique Bronze with ivory Dimensions H 56 cm Price € 32,000
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T ROU VA I L L E S
KUNSTHANDEL A.H. BIES, EINDHOVEN
Still life with strawberries, peaches and gooseberries One of the first paintings which art dealer Bies bought in 1974 together with his father was a beautiful still life by Adriana Johanna Haanen (1814 - 1895). In 1993 he tried in vain to trace the location of the work for a retrospective of the paintings that his company had
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purchased over the years. A few months ago, Bies unexpectedly came across the piece and did not hesitate to buy it.
Provenance Collection H.H. Roelofs Heyrmans, Rotterdam, 1902; auction Boussod & Valadon (H.G. Tersteeg); collection H.H.
Roelofs Heyrmans, The Hague, 9 April 1902, no. 38 (ill.); collection J.J. de Waal, Amsterdam; auction Frederik Muller & Co, Amsterdam, 20-23 November 1951, nr. 227 Origin The Netherlands, 1855-1865 Material and technique Oil on panel Dimensions 26.3 x 37.4 cm Price Upon request
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IN T ER-A N T IQUA R I A AT MEFFERDT & DE JONGE
Plan très exact de la ville fameuse marchande d’Amsterdam Among many competitors, Hendrik de Leth (1703 - 1766) made a reliable map of Amsterdam. This is a more luxurious copy with sheets of coat of arms on both sides. These formed the basis for the design of the stained-glass windows in the Oude Kerk.
Provenance An Amsterdam wholesale dealer Origin The Netherlands, 1734-1736 Material and technique Handcoloured copper engraving Dimensions 57.5 x 105 cm Price € 4,950
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JOHN ENDLICH A NTIQUA IRS
Golden snuffbox Amsterdam goldsmiths were often the ones to introduce new trends in the Netherlands. Their predominantly French roots played an important role in this. This box by Jean Saint was displayed at the exhibition ‘Rococo in the Netherlands’ in 2001 at the Rijksmuseum.
Provenance John Aymer Dalrymple, 13th Earl of Stair; John Endlich Antiquairs; private collection, The Netherlands Origin The Netherlands, 1748 Material and technique Gold, repoussé and chiselled Dimensions 7.4 x 5.5 x 3.5 cm Price Upon request
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T ROU VA I L L E S
VA N DERV EN OR I EN TA L A RT
Pair of candlesticks These candlesticks, which were made in China, belong to the classic ‘famille rose’ porcelain and were modelled on a set of silver candlesticks. As the Chinese themselves would not have
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used these objects, they were made for export to Europe. One of the candlesticks was initially bought in a thrift shop, where it turned out that the second had already been sold. However, after
some detective work the two pieces were reunited.
Provenance The Netherlands Origin China, Qianlong Period (1736-1795) Material and technique Porcelain Dimensions H 16.6 cm Price € 15,000
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THEO DA ATSEL A A R A NTIQUA IRS
Pair of French Restoration candelabra with five branches Hercules and Diana wrap an arm around a Corinthian column, which supports a five-armed candelabra. Hercules was a real hero, who performed great feats thanks to his enormous strength and
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cunning. Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt.
Provenance Private collection Origin France, around 1820 Material and technique Ormolu and patinated bronze Dimensions H 61 cm Price Upon request
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T ROU VA I L L E S
RUBEN A A RDEW ERK A NTIQUES
Bodkin case or ‘billet doux’ Developed by the brothers Guillaume and Etienne-Simon Martin in Paris after 1728, Vernis Martin lacquerwork is an imitation of Oriental lacquerwork. It was used on furniture, litters, but also snuffboxes and bodkin cases. Such cases were also used to deliver love letters. Hence the name ‘billet doux’.
Origin Paris, France, around 1750-1770 Material and technique Vernis Martin lacquerwork, tortoise and original silver frame Dimensions 16 x 2.6 cm Price € 2,850
FOUM A NI PERSIA N GA LLERY
Hamadan henna-flower carpet With its repetitive pattern, abstract henna flower and background of undyed camel wool, this type of carpet was very popular in the 19th century and was especially used in the library of mansion houses. The carpet is in good condition, which makes it a rare find. A similar
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carpet in the Foumani collection dated 1864 allows us to estimate the carpet’s age.
Provenance Private collection, The Netherlands Origin Persia, 1850-1870 Material and technique 100% camel wool, partly undyed, natural dye Dimensions 375 x 235 cm Price Upon request
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A. AARDEWERK A NTIQUA IR JU W ELIER
Art Nouveau plique-à-jour pendant Lucien Hirtz (1864 - 1928) was a gifted designer and enameller who worked for the famous jeweller Boucheron from 1893 until 1925. This silver-on-gold pendant is set with brilliant-cut diamonds against a background of soft-green leaves. The leaves are made of plique-à-jour enamel, executed in two shades of green. The berries are shaped by 14 brilliant-cut diamonds. The branches, traced in characteristic flowing Art Nouveau lines, are set with rose-cut diamonds. The pendant can also be worn as a brooch.
Provenance Private collection Origin France, around 1900 Material and technique Gold, brilliant-cut diamond and enamel Dimensions 4.8 x 6.2 cm Price Upon request
A RONSON A NTIQUA IRS
Pair of Delftware jardinières with yellow background Very few Delftware jardinières have stood the test of time. The use of flowerpots meant that the glazing and the porous clay were damaged by the minerals in the soil and by moisture. This pair is decorated with flowers on a yellow background. This is very rare in Delftware, because it was difficult to obtain a bright yellow colour. The provenance of these jardinières is unusual. While at an art fair in the United States, antique dealer Robert Aronson overheard a visitor saying: “Is that Delftware? I’ve also got some of that…” Aronson asked whether the man had some photos. But the gentleman kept insisting that
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he should come and have a look himself. It turned out that he lived just across the street! The collection marked LPK for De Porceleyne Lampetkan was indeed exceptional and Aronson purchased it.
Provenance Nijstad Lochem; Aronson Antiquairs, Amsterdam; De B… Collection, New York Origin Delft, The Netherlands, around 1760 Material and technique Delftware Dimensions H 16.1 x W 16.7 cm Price Upon request
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T ROU VA I L L E S
K U N S T C ON S U LT - 20T H C E N T U R Y A R T | OBJ EC T S
Long-stemmed Art Deco tin crackle vase Armed with an ‘explosives case’ filled with chemical agents and the knowledge he acquired in Leerdam, decorative artist Chris Lebeau left for the Bohemian glass factory Ludwig Moser und Söhne in early 1926. Driven by his urge to experiment and his boundless imagination, he spent three winters there creating glass objects of
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exceptional technical and artistic quality. This longstemmed glass vase with internal crackle is part of Lebeau’s third and last Bohemian series of unique copies. The series became increasingly popular and prices soared. In 1929, the famous art magazine Wendingen devoted a special issue to the work. A blizzard in the Bohemian hills inspired
Lebeau to create a contained, tight crackle of light snowflakes. He made several variations, a number of which are now in the collections of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Stedelijk Museum.
Origin Bohemia, unique copy, 1929 Material and technique Crystal glass with tin crackle Dimensions H 25 x D 25 cm Price € 5,500
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A. A A RDEW ERK A NTIQUA IR JU W ELIER
Tea chest with three silver tea caddies High-quality teas were still very expensive in the second half of the 18th century. Those who could afford to had a nice silver tea caddy – or, as in this case, three – made to store their precious teas. The Delft silversmith Dirk van Goorberg made three silver tea caddies for this exotic tea chest, which is covered in panels of bone and ivory carved with flower
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and leaf motifs. Two of the canisters were used to store different types of tea, while the third, which has two compartments and is decorated with a brilliant silver flower ornament, served to blend different types of tea. Chests such as this one were custom-made in China during the second half of the 18th century, probably in Canton. Their exterior was covered with ivory, mother-
of-pearl, tortoise or bone. The Oriental character of this chest underscores the exclusivity of its contents. Guests were certainly impressed when offered precious teas from such a chest.
Provenance Private collection, The Netherlands Origin The Netherlands, 1776 Material and technique Silver, ivory and bone Dimensions L 24.2 x H 13.1 cm Price Upon request
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ďŹ ed Appraiser Fine Arts and Antiques | Certi CertiďŹ
Sikke van Ommeren | Leeuwarden | date letter M = 1764
The candlesticks have been cast, chased and partly engraved. The facetted balustershaped stem with vase-shaped candleholder stands on the circular, shallow centre of the moulded base, which is embellished with an engraved border and applied shell ornaments above four scroll supports.
E-mail: info@daatselaar.com | Web: www.daatselaar.com | Phone: +31 654.394.108 agent and advisor for purchasing and selling fine arts and antiques | appraisals for probate and insurance purposes
KVHOK
M Y FAVOU R I T E PI ECE
IMPULSE BUYING TEXT
Mischa van de Woestijne PHOTOGRAPHY
Friso Keuris
FAIRS “I’ve always gone to PAN Amsterdam and TEFAF. My parents are also collectors and we have been going to art fairs for as long as I can remember. They mainly went for the art, but I also go to network and make new contacts. That’s also why I always go several times: to the preview, the opening and then once more to quietly look around. These fairs give you a good impression of what’s on offer and where the market is heading. I usually don’t go just to look around, I also buy something.” IMPULSIVE “My way of buying is different from that of my parents. They always do extensive research into what they want to get and their purchases are very targeted: they know exactly what they want, and what they should and shouldn’t buy. Over time they’ve managed to build up an incredible collection of Chinese pottery and porcelain. With me it’s different; I more or less know what I want and don’t want, but my purchases are entirely impulsive. That may also explain why there isn’t much coherence in my collection.”
NAME
M A A RTEN DE GRU Y TER PROFESSION
PROJECT DEV ELOPER OBJECT
A N A PPROX IM ATELY 100-Y E A R-OLD JA PA NESE SILV ER BOX OWNED SINCE
2008 SPECIAL
The drawing on the lid is subtle but exudes a fighting spirit
PRACTICAL OBJECTS “I like quietly looking around at a
fair because you never know what you may find. But of course there are a number of dealers I always drop by. I always go to have a look at Vanderven Oriental Art; my parents also used to go there and they know what I’m looking for. A few years ago they had this little silver box at PAN; a practical object, superbly finished and beautiful enough to look at every day. I immediately knew that I wanted to have it and we soon agreed on the price.” 026
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FEATURE MY FAVOURITE PIECE
FIGHTING SPIRIT “I don’t know what the box was originally used for. It dates back to the Meiji era, which ran from 1868 to 1912. During this period Japan changed
from an isolated, feudal society into a modern country that started to engage with the outside world. What is striking is the gold and silver drawing of a number of birds, including a rooster. This animal from the Japanese zodiac symbolizes fighting spirit among other things; I like that. Moreover, the craftsmanship is stunning and the drawing is exactly right. I don’t know whether it’s a rare piece or whether its value will ever increase. But I don’t really care; it’s beautiful and practical, so I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it.” 028
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‘They have to be interesting enough to look at every day’
DESK “I have a sizeable collection of pain-
tings and photographs by artists such as Mel Ramos, an American icon. I also like objects with a practical use, like this silver box. I like putting them on my desk, which means they have to be interesting enough to look at every day. Besides the box, there is an ashtray made of a horse’s hoof and a paperknife in the shape of a pistol – intriguing objects that you never tire of. I still need to get that paperknife restored because you know objects only become really interesting when they are in mint condition.” autumn 2015
COLUMN
TEXT
Ivo Weyel
ANTIQUE LORD ILLUSTRATION
Tekenteam.nl
Nearly an antique himself, the improbably tall Lord Leslie lives in a castle filled with antiques. The profusion at Castle Leslie makes everything else appear quite small, as Ivo Weyel finds out. Lord Leslie, the 4th Baronet of Glaslough, Captain of the Irish Guards, is currently old, but when he turns 100 next year, he will have reached the official age to qualify as an antique. Though he is still very tall, he is almost transparent and can only walk with a cane or the support of his private nurse. Every night at eight
o’clock sharp, he appears in the dining hall of Castle Leslie, his abode in Ireland that has been in the family for generations. He has a single malt whisky as an aperitif, has black pudding with a glass of rosé for dinner and then plays a passage of the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on the grand piano before descending to the Great Hall for a crème de menthe or two – or three. He is stone-deaf and barely has a single tooth left, but when he hears – as he cups his hand to his ear – that I am from the Netherlands, he lights up. “Nice country,” he shouts as spit flies around the room, “though quite small...” He knows Lord Van Voorst tot Voorst (or was it a Van Dedem? Or a Bentick? He can’t quite remember), anyway, there was a lord who was an ambassador to the Holy See when he himself lived in Rome (and was the ultimate jet-setter, though he doesn’t mention this; I read it later in his biography Never a Dull Moment). The castle is now a hotel where his niece rules the roost, while he lives in a side wing with his nurse and butler. The castle is enormous, with countless rooms and annexes, lakes (plural) and stables. Paul McCartney married Heather Mills here and slept in the Red Room, while Mick Jagger prefers the girlie room with the lilac autumn 2015
floral wallpaper. Mick Jagger is nice, Sir Leslie says, although quite small. The castle’s interior is a mix of art and kitsch: there are beautiful portraits of ancestors by the early 20th-century society painter László, fine-cut English pier mirrors from the 18th century and secrétaires à abattant inlaid with mother-of-pearl. But there is also a horrendous lavatory with a velvet canopy and dining chairs with crenellated backrests carved with the family coat of arms and dryad heads. There is also an abundance of memorabilia, including the framed christening dress of Sir Winston Churchill, a direct cousin of Lord Leslie. A nice man, he says, but – we feel it coming – quite small. He asks what I am doing here, and when I tell him that I am writing a feature for a Dutch newspaper, he gushes about our queen. “I met her in Amsterdam once, such a nice lady,” but, he adds, “quite small.” Máxima small? Who? Máxima. Who is she? Our queen. No, not her, I mean your real queen… I suggest Juliana. No, not her. Wilhelmina? Yes, exactly, how is she doing? Ivo Weyel is a journalist.
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HISTORY ARTIS
CAPTURING ANIMALS ON CANVAS TEXT
Aya Langeveld
IMAGES
Stadsarchief, Amsterdam
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A.J.W. de Veer. Photo of Thérèse Schwartze (18511918) working in Artis with her niece Lizzy Ansingh. Dated 1915. Photo: Central Bureau for Genealogy, Veenhuijzen Photo Collection.
From the very beginning, Amsterdam’s Artis zoo, has been home to animals, but also to painter’s easels. Even today, Natura Artis Magistra – the official name of the zoo meaning “nature is the teacher of art and science” – remains a source of inspiration for many artists. lot of the ‘Artis art’ has been preserved. There are more than 1,300 pieces in the art collection of Artis itself, but also in private collections. Pieces also occasionally surface at art dealers. These are usually popular works: the Amsterdam theme always does well, as do animals. If you
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arrange the works chronologically, you not only get an impression of the zoo, but also of the developments in the world of 19thand 20th-century art. For 19th-century artists, a day at the zoo is a study trip. In the Amsterdam zoo, one autumn 2015
ARTIS HISTORY
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THE BE A R PA L ACE IN A RTIS
Gerard Johan Staller (1880-1956) The painting ‘The Bear Palace in Artis’ from 1905 is unique in Johan Staller’s oeuvre. Artis was a true source of inspira-
tion for many Amsterdam artists. The Bear Palace in Artis was built in 1896, following the example of the Antwerp Zoo. Johan Staller perfectly captured
of the first in Europe, artists can for the first time ever study exotic species and wild animals in the flesh. Of course, they are familiar with lions and tigers through illustrations and paintings, but how true to life are such representations? It’s not autumn 2015
the atmosphere at the Bear Palace, with people enjoying the shade of a lime tree, two children to the right admiring the bears and, in the distance,
two ladies in long dresses strolling along with a parasol. The impressionist touch and use of colour convey the mood of this long summer afternoon.
like Rembrandt and his later colleagues ever saw these animals themselves. Artis was founded in 1838 as a zoological society with the aim of “advancing the knowledge of natural history in a pleasant and illustrative manner”. The founders believed that there had to be more to it than just “going to [see] the bear, the parrot and the
Gerard Johan Staller (1880-1956), The Bear Palace in Artis, Amsterdam, signed and dated lower left corner, 1905, oil on canvas on panel, 28.5 x 45 cm. Special thanks to Kunsthandel Dolf D. van Omme, Amsterdam, photo: Kees Kuil, Amsterdam.
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HISTORY ARTIS
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Drawing by Frederick Willem Zürcher (1835-1894), The swimming hippopotamus calf Herman Jr., 1865.
Herman was the first hippopotamus in the world that was born in a zoo and survived.
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Drawing by Corina Emmer-Smit (19182003), Elephant rides near the bear cages in Artis, 1947.
Watercolour by Jutta L.G. Metzger, The Zoological Institute Natura Artis Magistra seen from the garden, 1962.
its founders Gerard Westerman, who was a publisher, bookseller, collector and culture buff. Artis becomes a cultural hotspot of the upper-middle classes in the 19th century. A day out at Artis is all about seeing and being seen – the perfect place to stroll around, enjoy a cup of tea at the Koningspaleis (King’s Palace) or have a rest under the shade of the trees after looking in at the Berenpaleis (Bear Palace). Meanwhile, the gentlemen gather in the Tijgerzaal (Tiger Hall) for a smoke, possibly followed by a visit to an exhibition in one of the
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peacock”, as Louis Davids (Dutch cabaret artist of the early 20th century, ed.) sang a century later. Artis was meant to teach you something and was conceived more as a knowledge garden than a zoo. It also aimed to inspire artists, who went there to paint and draw from nature. This makes Artis a typical product of the Enlightenment, but it is also the fulfilment of the dream of one of 032
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museums, a lecture or an open-air concert by the Park Orchestra or the Orchestra of the Palace of Industry. The light summer evenings in the urban jungle are filled with the sounds of Bach, the howling of hyenas and the murmur of well-dressed autumn 2015
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audience members exchanging pleasantries during the intermission. The average man in the street has no access to Artis. There is no ticket desk at the entrance. Entry is reserved for members of the society, a group of rich Amsterdammers who also take care of financing. But artists require no membership and are even encouraged to visit. Thus by 1839, the members of the artists’ society Arti et Amicitiae can visit the zoo for free. Artis rapidly becomes a creative breeding ground where famous names such as Anton Mauve and Jacob Maris go to seek inspiration, as does high-society artist Thérèse Schwartze, who makes a portrait of the founder Gerard Westerman. The membership records of the zoological society contain various names of 19th-century artists such as Conradijn autumn 2015
Cunaeus, Henriette Ronner-Knip, Wouter Verschuur and Charles Verlat, all famed for their animal portraits. A number of the works they produced in Artis were added to its art collection, including the works of Verlat that were for a long time displayed in the zoo’s Grand Museum. Enriching the collection In the first year after its opening, Artis doesn’t have a lot to offer artists eager to capture wild things on paper. In 1838, it is a small society on the Plantage with a few animals, little more than a garden with a pond and an orangery. Initially, the zoo has a few monkeys, deer and parrots, as well as a cabinet of curiosities with an extensive collection of skeletons, stuffed animals, shells, fossils and rocks.
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HISTORY ARTIS
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Drawing by Nicolaas van der Waay (1855-1936), View of the large pond in Artis, with shelducks in the foreground, around 1915.
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But one year after the opening, cartloads of wild animals are suddenly wheeled onto the premises. The society has acquired the menagerie of the funfair operator Cornelis van Aken after the municipality refused to let the dangerous animals in his travelling circus into town. Artis is thus enriched with an elephant, a panther, a tiger, a puma, a zebra, a lama, a gnu and a boa constrictor. And then there are the brown bears, lions, hyenas and polar bears. This is the real beginning of the collection of live animals, which continues to grow over the years, for example with the addition of exotic specimens that are brought over from the trading colonies in East India. Artis grows into a sizeable zoo over the following decades, expanding in size and adding more and more architectural design in the form of animal shelters and buildings. Art upon request On special occasions, artists are invited to Artis, for example in 1865 when crowds gathered to welcome the first baby hippopotamus ever to be born in a European zoo. Upon the request of director Westerman, the German artist Heinrich Leutemann travels to Amsterdam to make a portrait of the little hippo. Artis also attracts other foreign artists, such as the Danish artist Johan Thomas Lundbye. The zoo even has an in-house artist: Willem Hekking, curator of the Artis Ethnographic Museum, who illustrates various books about the zoo and makes many drawings and watercolours of the buildings and the animal shelters. Paintings of Artis are actually quite rare; most painters visit the zoo to make animal 034
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studies, but they rarely portray the surroundings. If the artists don’t come to Artis, the camels and other exotic species come to them. After the Royal Academy of Fine Arts opens down the road in 1870, the animals regularly stroll into the academy gardens to pose for students. The academy also borrows skeletons and animals preserved in formaldehyde from Artis for the “animal anatomy” lessons. Professor August Allebé, the future director of the Royal Academy, also often takes his students to Artis for drawing or sculpture lessons. Many more art students are to follow in their footsteps. In the Netherlands, the tradition of animal sculptures is not as well developed as in other European countries. But this soon changes with the presence of so many models waiting to be moulded in clay at Artis. Soon the gardens of the zoo are dotted with inspiring sculptures. Around the turn of the century, Henri Texeira de Mattos, Lambertus Zijl and Joseph Mendes da Costa are often seen working in Artis. Jaap Kaas even has his own studio at the zoo. In 1938, two sculptures by Kaas – a lion and a tiger – are placed in front of the main building to replace the sculptures of Jacques Verdonck that were destroyed. Opening up By the end of the 19th century, Artis is not the cultural attraction it once was, especially after the opening of the Concertgebouw, the Rijksmuseum and other major cultural institutions. The zoo’s exclusivity policy is no longer financially viable and in order to survive, Artis opens the zoo up to a broader public. In 1939, the character of the knowledge garden changes for good when the entire Artis collections – except for the live animals – are transferred to the University of Amsterdam due to financial problems. Artis remains to be an endless source of inspiration that generates new works such as the sculptures of Fiona Zondervan and Peter Vos. Thus – nearly 200 years after its establishment – the Amsterdam zoo continues to attract artists to this very day. autumn 2015
asiA > Amsterdam
rijks museum
M Y FAVOU R I T E PI ECE
ACCIDENTAL GIRL TEXT
Mischa van de Woestijne
PHOTOGRAPHY
Friso Keuris
ART BASEL “Three years ago I was at Art Basel with the International Circle of the Rijksmuseum. The International Circle is made up of people who don’t live in the Netherlands but who nevertheless support the Rijksmuseum. Many of them only rarely visit the Netherlands, which is why we organize visits to international fairs and events with the museum’s curators. We went to Art Basel with a group of about 20 people. At one point we visited Rineke Dijkstra’s Brussels gallery, where I saw this photo that was taken on a West-African beach. It was love at first sight. I became acquainted with Dijkstra when there was a retrospective of her work in the Stedelijk Museum in 2005 or 2006. I have always followed her since then and when I saw this photo in Basel, I knew I really wanted it.” 036
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NAME
HENDR IKJE CR EBOLDER PROFESSION
HE A D OF DEV ELOPMENT AT THE R IJK SMUSEUM OBJECT
PHOTO BY R INEK E DIJK STR A OWNED SINCE
2012 SPECIAL
I was born in Africa, which is why I have a strong affinity with this photo.
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FEATURE MY FAVOURITE PIECE
CONTEXT “That afternoon I went back
to the stand to look at the photo. It looks like the shot was taken spontaneously, almost accidentally. But the gallery owner told me that he had been there when the photo was taken and said that Rineke Dijkstra had singled out this girl, who was walking on the beach with her classmates. Her pose and the way she looks into the
camera are candid but also very penetrating. That’s typical of Dijkstra’s work. What strikes me is that she is ageless; it’s like she’s suspended in time. I don’t know whether the breaking wave in the background is a coincidence and whether the interplay with the clouds behind her is accidental, but they give a nice extra dimension to the photo.” RECOGNITION “One of the reasons
that I immediately felt an affinity with this photo is that I was born in Africa. To me, the girl in the photo symbolizes the
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‘What strikes me is that she is ageless; it’s like she’s suspended in time’
optimism and the energy that are so characteristic of the continent. The school uniform that the girl in the photo is wearing also reminds me of my childhood. Schoolchildren are always neatly dressed, even though they often live in very poor conditions and have to walk long distances to get to school. When I see the photo at home in my living room, I feel my love for Africa and Africans. That makes it very intimate; it brings it very close to home without making it comfortable. Maybe that’s what makes Dijkstra’s work so special.” autumn 2015
COLUMN
TEXT
Yvo van Regteren Altena
REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST ILLUSTRATION
Tekenteam.nl
Amsterdam isn’t what it used to be, says Yvo van Regteren Altena: too busy, too ecologically-minded and too many grouches. Still, he sees some rays of hope. It’s always tempting to think that life used to be better and perhaps we all have a tendency to idealize the past. Yet upon closer consideration, this view often has to be revised and we are forced to admit that in many respects life has improved. But this is not so easy when you think about how life used to be in Amsterdam. If I dig deep into my memory, I can go back to the 1960s. I can clearly picture the deserted Singel near the Flower Market. I always dreaded the moment when my father, who was rather absent-minded, would park his 2CV right along the quayside in front of his archaeological institute. There was always space right in front of the door, parking was free and how quiet Amsterdam was in those days... In 1980, I started studying in Amsterdam. I clearly remember the snowy night when I lost my heart to the city as I walked down the Groenburgwal. Then too, the silence was magnificent, an idyllic canal flanked by that handsome Zuiderkerk. Back then, Amsterdam had not yet been gripped by the drive towards energy efficiency. The lampposts glowed with a warm yellow light instead of the dazzling white that we endure today and which brings to mind a dentist’s office. In the early 1980s, I decided that I would one day live autumn 2015
on the Groenburgwal, and soon after I actually did settle there for ten years. Today I live around the Hortus and I am glad to have moved to the periphery. Perhaps there is a direct correlation with the advent of grey hairs, but in recent years I feel that the city is no longer my domain. Where I once reigned supreme on my old Gazelle bike, I now – particularly in the Museum Quarter – have to be careful. Crossing the Spiegelstraat equals a mild form of Russian roulette. No wonder. The city has reopened three important museums over a short period of time, and thus managed to lure new tourists who finally have the financial means to travel beyond their own Great Wall of China. And as the locals resist the inevitable changes that every city undergoes they turn into grouches. Amsterdammers who idolize the past would do better to focus on the many things that endure. This even happened in Rome, the city that is associated with permanent chaos and arbitrariness. Look at our canals, our prominent buildings and parks, and then look at the centuries-old paintings of these places. Many essential contours remain unchanged. With the exception of a few unfortunate structures, the canals have borne the test of time reasonably well. Surely, they will also survive the next generation. Yvo van Regteren Altena is a journalist and writer
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LEARN FROM AN OLD MASTER
KONINKLIJKE VHOK COURSE PROGRAMME The Koninklijke VHOK offers a variety of courses and lectures
The Koninklijke VHOK (the Royal Association of Fine Art Dealers) courses provide practical knowledge that you will not find anywhere else. Renowned art dealers, many of whom regularly appear on the television show ‘Tussen Kunst & Kitsch’, a Dutch version of the ‘Antiques Roadshow’, share their unique expertise and experience with you. In the course Kunst & Antiek in de Praktijk (Art & Antiques in Practice), we open
doors for you, with antique dealers receiving you in their homes and shops. You will have the chance to study and hold rare pieces, while experts provide detailed commentary and background. In this course, we share not only our knowledge, but also our love of fine art. The spring course Kunst & Antiek in de Praktijk will run from early February until early June 2016. The participation fee is €725 (incl. VAT) for 11 sessions.
‘The practical knowledge we gained here cannot be found in books. The personal involvement of the art dealers of the Koninklijke VHOK is especially inspiring and valuable’
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR COURSE PROGRAMME, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.KVHOK.NL, OR SEND AN E-MAIL TO INFO@KVHOK.NL
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‘After taking this course I am sure that I want to go into the art and antiques business after graduating. The course also helped me find a part-time job with one of the antique dealers affiliated to the VHOK’
autumn 2015
‘It was both entertaining and educational to see the passion with which the art dealers zoomed in on the tricks of the trade and granted us a view of their world’
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JAN VAN SCOREL FEATURE
A HEAVENLY DISCOVERY TEXT
Jettie Rozemond
PHOTOGRAPHY
Frans Hals Museum
Artworks in museums and galleries – and often also in the homes of art lovers – are generally in excellent condition. But they are rarely found in this state when they first emerge after a journey of centuries, during which they have been moved, stored and perhaps damaged. Many public artworks are cleaned and restored, which is essential if they are to be preserved for posterity. Vernis looks in on an unusual restoration project at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.
great deal of effort is required to work intently for months on a single painting, often peering through the lens of a microscope. When you work on this micro level, even the smallest intervention can have a great impact. Restorers Jorinde Koenen and Jessica Roeders know this better than most: for the past years, they have been working on the restoration of and research into one of the masterpieces of the Frans Hals Museum: The Baptism of Christ by Jan van Scorel (1495-1562). Vernis got to look behind the scenes and went to visit the studio in the attic of the museum. vernis#09
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FEATURE JAN VAN SCOREL
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The Baptism of Christ, Jan van Scorel (1495-1562).
Restorers Jessica Roeders and Jorinde Koenen with headband magnifiers.
Four restorers work full time to preserve the museum’s collection. The attic of this vast museum complex has been fully modernized and allows restorers to take the greatest possible care of the precious painting collection. The floors and walls of the workshop are grey, to minimize disruptive light reflections on the paintings. The windows are blacked out; instead of daylight, standing spotlights are used to optimally illuminate the artworks in the workshop. Wearing a headband magnifier and armed with an extremely fine brush, Jorinde Koenen and Jessica Roeders are fully focused on the large painting. They are doing retouching work, the phase in the restoration process in which small dabs of paint are tactically applied to make damage less visible. The paint is not applied directly onto the original surface, but onto the so-called isolation varnish. Retouching is one of the final phases of a restoration process, but also one of the most time consuming. Afterwards, only the final layer of varnish still needs to be applied.
determine which intervention will result in the best outcome with minimal risk.” Only after this detailed study can you assess how long the restoration of a painting will take. Every painting is unique and therefore has its own restoration history. In the case of The Baptism of Christ that history was somewhat troubled. The painting had been restored several times, and each time a new layer of varnish had been applied. Koenen and Roeders had to
Study So how do you actually go about this kind of restoration? “You can’t just start randomly removing varnish; you first have to conduct a detailed preliminary study. You have to understand every aspect of a painting before you can start treating it. You have to know the build-up of paintlayers and the state they are in. More than anything, you have to look at the work, but also take samples and conduct tests,” Roeders says. “Sometimes we spend months just looking, not only with the naked eye and in normal light but also with raking light, ultraviolet light and with a microscope. In addition, we conduct archival research and collect all existing information about the painting,” Koenen explains. “You can compare it to the work of a surgeon. As a surgeon, you don’t just go in and operate; first you study the patient, consider their history and based on this you 044
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explains. “We were unable to remove one of the layers with the organic solvents that we usually apply. So we switched to a method that was new to us, but which we had of course tested extensively before. In the end, our efforts were certainly worthwhile: after removing these layers we were able to access Scorel’s original painting. We were amazed by the wonderfully bright colours that emerged. The forest landscape was light green and the sky was once
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‘In the end, our efforts were certainly worthwhile: after removing these layers we were able to access Scorel’s original painting’ develop a strategy to remove these layers of faded old varnish and overpaintings, without damaging the painting. “Each of these types of varnish require different solvents, depending on the type of material but also the extent of ageing,” Roeders
again a beautiful ultramarine-blue instead of greyish.” Becoming a restorer is not something you do overnight. Koenen and Roeders both have university degrees in art history and restoration. Both liked the mix of autumn 2015
JAN VAN SCOREL FEATURE
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With fine brushes and a wide range of pigments the restoration process commences.
Curator Ariane van Suchtelen studies the painting, together with Jessica Roeders and Jorinde Koenen.
science and art history and the fact that the work of a restorer combines practical work with scientific research. After a few years of working in the field, at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis among others, Roeders still feels fortunate to be doing this work. “Zooming in on a painting – literally and figuratively – sometimes leads to incredible discoveries. For example uncovering a signature or the artist’s fingerprint in the original paint. It’s a privilege to be allowed to come so close to the work of art and its creator(s). I experienced this again during this restoration.” Important Jan van Scorel painted The Baptism of Christ between 1527 and 1530, making it one of the oldest paintings in the collection of the Frans Hals Museum. Some consider Scorel to be the artist who brought the Italian Renaissance to the North. For this work too, he drew inspiration from his visit to Italy and this is one reason why this painting is so important. The work is painted on an oak-wood panel that is made up of five smaller panels. A chalk primer was applied directly onto the large panel, a layer that forms the base for the paintwork. Scorel probably bought the pretreated panel from a professional panel maker, so that he could immediately start setting up a so-called underdrawing as a basis for the painting. “The underdrawing was one of the elements that we studied with care,” Koenen says. “Scorel is known for making detailed underdrawings. This suggests that he already had a clear idea of the composition before he started painting. But in the end, he didn’t always follow this drawing. For example, he adjusted the contours of the figures and we discovered, rather amusingly, that he struggled with the positioning of the ears in several places.” As a restorer you can sometimes really be surprised by what you find. “That’s one of the best part of our work,” says Koenen. “While removing the layers of varnish, we autumn 2015
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also removed old retouches and overpaintings. We found a surprise hidden beneath one of these overpaintings: the remains of three small figures that were part of the baptism story appeared in the background: John the Baptist preaching to two followers. This scene takes place after Christ has been baptized.” But why would Scorel have painted over such an important narrative element in the composition? Roeders suspects that some restorer in a distant past used a solvent that was too aggressive to clean the painting. “The three figures were badly damaged in the past. A previous restorer probably tried to conceal the damage by covering the area with green
paint, as though the landscape simply continued here. While the figures were heavily damaged, there was nevertheless enough original paint left to revive them during the retouching process. We want the composition to correspond as much as possible to what Scorel originally painted.” However, the biggest surprise was revealed on the top panel of the painting and came to light while studying an X ray that was made during the restoration process. Pigments with the highest absorption rate show up white on an X-ray. To the right of the tree in the clouds you can clearly see the outlines of a figure stretching out his hand: none other than God the Father. vernis#09
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FEATURE JAN VAN SCOREL
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A detail of The Baptism of Christ.
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But why has he been covered up? And when did this happen? “Those were questions that we couldn’t readily answer. We did further research, but we still have different theories on this. Another striking element on the top panel, which we had already noticed, is that the painting style is slightly coarser than on the rest of the painting. Furthermore, the underdrawing doesn’t continue into the top panel. This raised the question: is the top panel part of the original and was it painted by Scorel or was it added later?” Like detectives solving a murder case, Koenen, Roeders and the interim curator of old master paintings, Ariane van Suchtelen, drew up a research plan to resolve the unanswered issues surrounding the top panel. For example, they studied the wood. “Simply put, dendrochronological research consists of counting and measuring the growth rings in wood, which allows you to determine the felling date fairly accurately,” Koenen explains. “It turned out that the top panel was indeed from a slightly later date, but that all five panels could be dated before 1530. This means that this panel may have been added later, but it provides no proof.” 046
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Next, paint samples were taken in the area where the figure is hidden and from the other panels. “This kind of sample is like a small cross-section which shows the composition of the paint in each layer. We found that on the top panel no ultramarine or azurite had been used in the blue sky as in the rest of the painting. Instead it was a different pigment, smalt,” Roeders clarifies. “We now had several arguments in favour of the hypothesis that someone else painted the top panel. However, the materials they used showed that the panel may have been added as early as the 16th century. But why and when? We still cannot answer this question.” Van Suchtelen also examined the painting and the question surrounding the top panel in detail. “In addition to studying all the technical research results, I looked at
‘Now that the yellowed varnish and the faded retouches and overpaintings have been removed, you can once again see what a brilliant painting this actually is’ DESCRIPTION
The Baptism of Christ The Jordan River winds its way through a vast landscape from the faraway mountains to the foreground. Along the banks of the river numerous naked figures are represented, marking the progression of depth. Half-naked figures stand on two sides of a gnarled tree. Together they represent the people of Judea, who are being baptized in the Jordan River to seek forgiveness for their sins. In the foreground, Christ himself receives the sacrament. His head bowed in submission and his hands joined in prayer, he is baptized by John, who is dressed in a garment of camel hair.
the pictorial tradition of the baptism of Christ and Jan van Scorel’s sources of inspiration. The context in which the painting was created is also interesting: it was made for The Haarlem Monastery of St John. After the Protestants seized power in the 16th century, ownership passed to the city of Haarlem. The story of the painting is so fascinating and multifaceted, that we are keen to share it with the public.” Van Suchtelen has been working on an exhibition around the freshly restored work over recent months. “Now that the yellowed varnish and the faded retouches and overpaintings have been removed, you can once again see what a brilliant painting this actually is and how important this work must have been for the development of painting styles in Haarlem.” autumn 2015
JAN VAN SCOREL FEATURE
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The separate panels of the painting are clearly visible.
Detail of an X-ray of the top panel with the God figure behind a cloud, detail with contour line.
Detail of the painting during cleaning.
JA N VA N SCOR EL
Artistic innovator Jan van Scorel (1495-1562) was one of the first northerners to undertake the journey to Italy. He studied the remains of classical antiquity and the art of the great masters like Michelangelo. Upon his return, he introduced the artistic innovations of the Italian Renaissance in the
Northern Netherlands. Scorel, who had established himself in Utrecht, fled to Haarlem in 1527 to escape political unrest and remained there until 1530. It was here that he set up his first workplace with students and assistants. Scorel’s three-year stay in Haarlem was of great significance for the
development of painting in Haarlem in the 16th century. A number of important works from this Haarlem period have been preserved. One of the most beautiful paintings is The Baptism of Christ, made for The Haarlem Monastery of St John, and now part of the collection of the Frans Hals Museum.
The recently restored painting is the impressive centrepiece of the exhibition, Jan van Scorel – A heavenly discovery. It is surrounded by other paintings that Scorel made during his Haarlem period (15271530), with Maria Magdalena from the Rijksmuseum as the highlight. The exhibition also includes copies of The Baptism of Christ, which provide answers to the question of when the figures were painted (over). An introductory film gives the viewer an idea of Haarlem in the 16th century and provides an insight into the world of restoration. “We wanted to show viewers the different phases that make up a restoration and explain how modern technical research tools can help answer art history questions,” says Van Suchtelen. The artworks in the exhibition fall into place like puzzle pieces to tell the story of the creation of The Baptism of Christ in Jan van Scorel’s studio. The exhibition is accompanied by a publication by Ariane van Suchtelen, The Baptism of Christ, Jan van Scorel in Haarlem. The publication explores the importance of Scorel’s Haarlem years, placing The Baptism of Christ in a broader context. It also provides details about the restoration and the results of the technical study.
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The exhibition at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem runs until 13 March 2016. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00.
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FEATURE IN FOCUS
AMSTERDAM In the second half of the 16th century, Amsterdam became the most important city in the northern Low Countries, where trade, politics and art occupied a prominent place. Trade stimulated cartography, printing and the bank and insurance business. In the 17th century, Amsterdam was characterized by wealth, power, culture and tolerance. As a result, the number of artists grew and both art production and the art trade flourished. Despite the fact that Amsterdam’s wealth decreased after the 17th century, art, culture and free thought have always remained important hallmarks of the city. With around 822,000 inhabitants, Amsterdam today attracts more than five million visitors annually, who can choose from a vast range of cultural attractions. Vernis browses through the cultural agenda and takes you off the beaten track in the Dutch capital.
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MUSEUM ONS’ LIEVE HEER OP SOLDER Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder highlights the long history of religious tolerance in the Netherlands. An apparently normal Amsterdam house conceals a Roman-Catholic house church from 1663 hidden in an attic in the heart of Amsterdam. The museum below is dedicated to religious diversity and tolerance. Mass is still regularly celebrated in the clandestine church.
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Mischa van de Woestijne
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IN FOCUS FEATURE
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ART
ART
SLEEPING
EATING
MUSEUM HET GRACHTENHUIS
TASSENMUSEUM HENDRIKJE
ANDAZ HOTEL
DE FOODHALLEN
The ring of canals is the symbol of Amsterdam’s illustrious history. Museum Het Grachtenhuis opened its doors in 2010, after the ring of canals was placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Besides scale models, period rooms and a typical canal garden, the museum has an interactive multimedia exhibition that traces the history of the development of this unique area.
With the largest collection of handbags in the world, Tassenmuseum Hendrikje is one of the most intriguing museums in Amsterdam. Here too, an impressive canal house forms the backdrop for an overview of the history of the (hand)bag in Western culture from the end of the Middle Ages to the modern era. Featuring more than 5,000 historical bags, pouches, suitcases, purses and matching accessories, the collection also includes a section dedicated to modern designs and designers.
Until recently, the public library on the Prinsengracht was one of the gloomiest places on the ring of canals. But then designer Marcel Wanders set to work on the building and transformed it into the spectacular Andaz Hotel. The hotel, which is part of the Hyatt chain, is themed around a modern interpretation of the history of the Netherlands and Amsterdam, with
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references to the Golden Age, Delft blue, tulips and the national colour orange. There are also new and existing designs by Wanders, including his One Minute Delft Blue-style, a bookshaped desk, his Tulip Chair, the lamps Big Shadow for Cappellini and the table Container New Antiques for Moooi.
If you want to eat in every restaurant in Amsterdam, you can spend three and a half years dining in a different place every night as long as you can obtain a reservation. Reservations are never a problem at the Foodhallen, the indoor food market located in an old tram depot on the Bellamyplein in Amsterdam-West. Inspired by the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid and
Borough Market in London, the Foodhallen allows visitors to sample food in more than 20 minirestaurants with intriguing names like The Butcher, Caulils, Wild Moa Pies, Pink Flamingo, Bulls & Dogs, The Rough Kitchen or Viet View. While seating is not guaranteed, a mix of hipster beards, adventurous tourists and local artists is.
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It is hard to imagine art fairs like PAN or TEFAF without vetters. But what exactly do these experts do? And how far does their power extend? Jacques Fijnaut, chairman of the committee of antique dealers at PAN and the Dutch art world’s éminence grise, tells Onno Aerden that the vetting process can be nerve-racking. PHOTOGRAPHY
TEFAF, Peter Boer (portrait)
CHIEF VETTER TEXT
Onno Aerden
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Jacques Fijnaut.
At TEFAF, the authenticity of artworks is verified using X-ray equipment among others.
hat is art? It is an age-old question, at times defiantly challenged by the likes of Andy Warhol, Tracy Emin, Joseph Beuys or Jeff Koons. Art is in the eye of the beholder, most experts will tell you. But that makes its valuation all the more difficult: it’s no longer enough for an object to be just “beautiful” or “unusual”. “The value of an artwork is primarily determined by the quality of the work,” says the doyen of the Dutch art trade, Jacques Fijnaut. “The value lies in the high quality of materials used and their treatment, but especially in the certainty that the style and materials used actually reflect the period that the seller attributes to the work.” 03
Fijnaut (73) should know; countless objects have passed through his hands in an art career that spans more than 40 years. He has been a vetter in the Netherlands and abroad for more than 20 years. He has worked at TEFAF, and more recently at PAN where he oversees 20 teams of nearly 70 experts who assess the authenticity of every single work on display at the fair. We discuss Fijnaut’s role as a vetting expert at his home, which is located above his shop on the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat in Amsterdam. Vetters are in a sense like referees: they determine what qualifies as art. Or rather, they determine which pieces are “fair-worthy”; these works will end up in museums, galleries and private homes after the fair.
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X-ray equipment The use of vetting systems is common practice at today’s art fairs. At TEFAF, 175 vetters assess all works on offer in 29 different categories, before the opening. They look at quality, authenticity and the condition of the work. Former Rijksmuseum director and art connoisseur Prof. Henk van Os is the chairman of the vetting committee. On the TEFAF website, he describes the vetting system as an ‘essential building block’ for the success of the fair. The experts keep each other sharp; they do not just test their findings against the existing literature about the artwork, but also with fellow experts, he explains on the website of TEFAF. “The most important criterion is the expert eye, but technology – in the autumn 2015
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Art vetting is meticulous work, performed by the country’s leading experts.
THE VETTING EXPERT
Broad interest
Fijnaut’s role as a leading art vetter evolved out of a long career as a general antique dealer. He learned to distinguish “good” and “not so good” art at a young age as an assistant-salesperson at Kunsthandel Peters in Tilburg. “In those days dealers still bought directly from private individuals;
auction houses were still in their infancy. We often found ourselves in large houses in Antwerp or Brussels loading up cupboards, tables, silverware and paintings. Anything that was no good, we left behind. I learned so much about what is authentic and false, beautiful and not beautiful, valuable and worthless
during that period.” With his partner Henk van der Heijden, Fijnaut established Kunsthandel Jacques Fijnaut in 1975, which has become a well-known name in the Amsterdam Spiegelkwartier. They initially focused on 17th-century masterpieces including Renaissance furniture and Old Masters. But Fijnaut also became increasingly interested in 18th-century Dutch silverware; the silver collection continues to play an important role in the shop. But those who visit the shop – exclusively by appointment – can also let themselves be seduced by works of the Hague School, furniture, bronzes, objets d’arts and colonial antiques. 04
form of infrared-scanners and specialist X-ray equipment – plays an increasingly important role today. Van Os emphasizes that the detailed assessment of the works ensures that not the art dealer, but the buyer is the most important person at the fair. Vetting teams Fijnaut was a long-standing member of the TEFAF vetting committee, until he left five years ago (“the offer was so huge that it took two whole days to vet – it was too much”). For the past five years he has been the head of the vetting teams at PAN, which is, together with TEFAF, the leading art fair in the Low Countries. “Chairman of the antique dealers committee – that’s autumn 2015
my title,” he says, sitting at his robust dining table full of polished silverware. “Painting and visual arts have separate chairpersons.” Be that as it may, it is Fijnaut who gets up behind the lectern at 9 o’clock sharp on the morning before the opening of the fair, and who, standing between scenes of 17th-century naval battles and sets of silver cutlery, gives a mini-lecture on a topical theme for the dozens of experts who have gathered to do ‘the rounds’, their first cup of coffee still in hand. Fijnaut describes this third and last day of preparations before the fair as “glorious” as it is entirely dedicated to vetting. “You sense a certain nervousness spreading through the halls as the experts are let loose. Every dealer is of course convinced that he has
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REPORTAGE CHIEF VETTER
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In case of disagreement, the vetting experts call upon colleagues to verify their findings.
Not only paintings are vetted; furniture, glassware and jewellery are also subjected to the test.
put his very best pieces on show and they are not in the mood for long discussions. TEFAF still applies the rule that the exhibition floor is off limits to dealers on vetting day. I dropped this rule at PAN. In Amsterdam, the dealers can speak to committee members after the viewing, to find out why a painting or a piece of furniture or glassware was removed.” Formality In 99% of the cases, the vetting itself is a formality (“most dealers have been around long enough”), but sometimes one or two committee members spot something. “We were once presented with a majestic 15th-century table. But in fact only the foot was from that period. The tabletop was a very good 19th-century replica. In such a case we have to say: ‘report it, or remove it’. Some will insist that the piece be removed entirely, but I’m not that harsh. If a clear reference to the tabletop is added, it’s good enough for me.” Worse for wear There is a reason for Fijnaut’s leniency towards the 19th century: during his career he has gradually become a defender of this period that is largely forsaken in art circles. “This was the period when the middle classes came into money; everyone wanted to live grandly. Craftsmen whose ancestors
The tag on which the work is described – known in art circles as the label – is of central importance to the vetting process had made ‘real’ works for the aristocracy received one order after the other to produce ‘accurate’ replicas. This resulted in very nice faux Louis XV and XVI furniture, glassware, porcelain and silver for example. To me it is a valuable period in and of itself, though the value is different from that of previous centuries. But I know I am just about the only one who sees it that way.” The card on which the work is described – known in art circles as the label – is a central element of the vetting process. Besides decisions about the possible removal of an object, labelling is the vetter’s main job. “Everything is reviewed: reported
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year of origin, author of the work, the mention of any reparations or additions to the work, for example a 19th-century inscription on a 17th-century silver bowl. If a label is incomplete, it has to be corrected.” Art dealers know what to expect: they receive the regulations in advance, which specify how wares are to be presented. Overall, there are not too many issues – “of the thousands of works presented every year, 20 to 30 pose a problem”. But when it does happen, things can get heated. Often the disagreements revolve around restorations that have not been mentioned. This means that the dealer has failed to give autumn 2015
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The number of female vetting experts is rather low. Maybe a chairwoman would be a good idea, says Fijnaut.
a complete representation of the period in which he has placed the work – a requirement of the vetting system. “But sometimes we also get sculptures that have passed through so many hands that they are really worse for wear. They are so worn that we have to say: ‘Sorry, the quality is too low’.” Just imagine: there you are, everything ready for the big opening tomorrow, only to be told that you can clear out half your stand. “That doesn’t happen anymore,” Fijnaut smiles. “Though once when I was vetting at a fair in Breda, I had to make a furniture dealer remove three sofas. He had to rush back to his shop to pick out a whole new collection; he redesigned his whole stand. And all the while you have to remain friendly, because you’re bound to bump into each other again.” Independent And what if a dealer still does not agree with the experts’ verdict? “There is a possibility to appeal the decision in the afternoon. If necessary, experts from other committees come to look at the piece too. So if it’s a standing clock the guys from ‘clocks’ and ‘furniture pieces’ will come to have a look together. And if the issue is still not resolved, then I step in as the final arbitrator,” says Fijnaut. “Then I have to substantiate the committee’s verdict without raising my voice – the experts always have the benefit of the doubt. It helps that I am independent: committees are made up of representatives from museums, the art trade and exhibitors. In my role as chairman, I am above that.” On one occasion at PAN things got so out of hand that a dealer started using offensive language to defend his wares, before packing up in a huff. “We won’t be seeing him again,” a PAN board member said to Fijnaut. “And he was right. He disappeared with all his stuff and we never saw him anywhere after that – ever.” But, he hastens to add, recently things have been going smoothly. “In general, newcomers to the fair learn from any carelessness first time round,” says Fijnaut. autumn 2015
“You actually can’t afford to turn up with dubious art year after year.” Knowledge of art has increased significantly – among dealers but especially among buyers. “You see them browsing the fair with a mission: to find that one eye-catching object to complete their minimalist interior. There is so much information out there, through the internet and countless books… Sometimes a buyer will even notice something the experts haven’t spotted. But that’s rare.” Brief grumblings A final singularity: the enormous amount of art which, according to the standards of the vetting experts, is not fair-worthy: “At one point a series of beautiful glass roemers turned up at a fair in Delft. Glass experts and antique dealers rushed to buy them. In the end, many of these glasses could be traced to the 20th-century glassblower Jos Böhm, who made flawless copies of 17th-century examples. He also made beautiful work of his own by the way. That led to a massive clean-up operation and – briefly – a lot of grumbling.” Fijnaut also puts together the committees, together with Cécile Fentener van Vlissingen of PAN. If someone falls ill or pulls out, they turn to him for a good replacement. He is the decision maker over decision makers – this man who is today quietly sipping tea surrounded by his favourite artworks. And secretly he is also the most influential man in the Dutch art world. “If you’ve been in the business for a while and you keep your eyes open, you learn a thing or two about authenticity by the time you reach my wise old age,” he says. “There are not many generalists around anymore and I’ve always considered my broad approach to be an advantage. A fair with only experts would be a deadly bore.” And a new leader will come forward, when he steps down. “It might even be a woman. It’s strange but there are still very few female experts. They try it for a couple of years and then they’re gone. It’s a shame. Maybe the next chairperson should be a woman.”
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HIDDEN PIECES OF THE CITY TEXT
Aya Langeveld
PHOTOGRAPHY
Peter Boer
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Left: Double date, Love and Extacy, 1996, by computer/ video artist Micha Klein. Right: Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (1810-1883), dated 1832, by Wilhelm Wach. 056
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Located in a modern citadel overlooking the IJ-harbour, the storage facilities of the Amsterdam Museum house more than 90,000 objects that form part of the city’s history: from world-famous civic guard portraits to the iconic snake that until recently adorned the facade of a renowned squat on the Spuistraat. Vernis stepped into the vast lift and covered quite some distance in its exploration of the impressive Collection Centre. n 2011, the Amsterdam Historic Museum became the Amsterdam Museum. The Collection Centre in Amsterdam North was opened that same year. “That’s a coincidence,” says director Paul Spies. “The decision to build a central storage facility was taken before my time. And it was high time: until then the
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Paul Spies, (outgoing) director of the Amsterdam Museum: “I’d rather have Johan Cruijff’s golden football than another civic guard portrait.”
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collection had been stored at different locations across town, but the facilities didn’t meet the requirements of modern conservation and security. It’s almost a miracle that the collection wasn’t damaged. Leaving out the word ‘Historic’ from the museum’s name was my idea: I felt it made it sound like we only focused on the past, when in fact our collection and exhibitions cover the city of Amsterdam in the past, present and future. If you ask me what’s on my wish list, I would say: add Johan Cruijff’s golden football instead of another civic guard portrait. We have enough of those in our collection to tell the story of the 17th century. We would rather fill the gaps in our late 20th-century collection. Modern history is also important, as the current exhibition ‘Graffiti’ shows. Rembrandt in the lift Nowhere is the slogan ‘I Amsterdam’ more appropriate than in the Collection Centre. In the various storage spaces that cover three floors in the side wings of the building, the shelves and racks are lined with objects that represent the essence of Amsterdam. It is almost overwhelming, not
only because of the number and diversity of the objects, but also because of the scale of the place. But we soon see why this is justified: where else could you store two massive cannons? The enormous lift has a capacity of 5,000 kg and is made to measure. “We needed it to accommodate our largest piece,” says director Spies. Asked what it is, he says with a small air of triumph: “The Night Watch.” Rembrandt’s world-famous painting may be on display at the Rijksmuseum, but it is actually on perpetual loan from the municipality of Amsterdam. “In case of an emergency, it goes straight into our storage space.” But the design also had to take into account another 160 group portraits – the largest collection in the world – that form part of the collection of the Amsterdam Museum. They are all “large” and “unwieldy” and this is one of the reasons that many of such pieces have been lost – because where do you store them? Thankfully a large number has actually survived in Amsterdam, together with many other pieces that reflect the city’s history. “Already in the 17th century, the city preserved important historic objects out of a sense of heritage and as a legiautumn 2015
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The mixed storage space is filled with all sorts of things, from scooters to city views.
Visual artist Boris van Berkum made a 3D print of a Kabra ancestor mask, an original mask from the collection of the
timization to celebrate the city’s existence. The medieval town hall had an Antiquities Room. Most of the pieces from there have been preserved, despite the devastating fire of 1652. The large group portraits, the Civic Guard Portraits, were displayed in the Doelenzalen and the Schutterijen (the Halls of the Civic Guards). They were moved to the Krijgsraadzalen (War Council Rooms) of the new town hall – now the Royal Palace on the Dam – at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century. And that’s why they are part of our collection today, because we are a city museum and we manage the collection of the city of Amsterdam. Around half of our collection consists of objects which the city itself preserved, the other half was mainly obtained through donations and legacies.” During the 19th century in particular, the city’s collection grew thanks to wealthy private art collectors such as the banker Adriaan van der Hoop, the coal merchant Carel Joseph Fodor and of course the widow Sophia Adriana Lopez Suasso-De Bruijn, who was obsessed with collecting and who bequeathed her entire art collection to the city. This also explains the presence of works by Italian and French masters. They look slightly out of place between the views of the Amsterdam canals and impressions of the Red Light District, but their link to Amsterdam is not the image represented, but their former owners who were Amsterdammers. All sorts of things The mixed storage space seems to be filled with all sorts of random things. To the left, a row of baroque mirrors; to the right, a roll of canvasses that still need to be mounted and framed; straight ahead, hanging on an sliding rack, ‘Double date, Love and Extacy’ and ‘Pillman’ by Micha Klein – a reference to the 1990s with its sex, drugs and house music, because that is also part of Amsterdam’s culture. Further up, at the head of an aisle there is a family coat of arms of the Amsterdam aristocracy. In the racks, furniture is stacked three high. Is autumn 2015
Africa Museum. The mask played an important role during the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery
in the Netherlands in 2013. Maryse Otte lifts the new acquisition out of a shipping crate.
HISTORY
What’s in a name? The Amsterdam Museum has officially existed since 1926 when, on the occasion of a large commemorative exhibition to mark the 650th anniversary of the city Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Historic Museum was opened in the Waag (Weighing House) as a historic annex of the Stedelijk Museum where modern art is accommodated. In 1975, the museum moved to the
former Burgerweeshuis (Orphanage); it was officially separated from the Stedelijk
Museum in the early 1980s. Since 2011, it has been called the Amsterdam Museum.
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there a system here? “The spaces are not organized according to time period or school, but according to material type, in order to facilitate climate control,” team leader of Management and Conservation Maryse Otte explains. “Objects made of organic material like leather and textile require a different atmospheric humidity and temperature than objects made of inorganic material like stone.” There’s a bit of everything: from archaeological excavations and ancient art to a coin collection and fashion. The objects in this mixed sto-
rage space are less vulnerable and do not need to be preserved under specific conditions. The indoor climate is already optimally regulated. Risk of asphyxiation The real danger comes from outside. All items that arrive in the storage facility first go into quarantine if they are suspected of harbouring bugs or other forms of contamination. Each load is inspected upon arrival; if there is the slightest doubt, the item is immediately moved to a special cell vernis#09
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Modern and ancient art hang next to each other in the racks of the mixed storage space.
where the oxygen level is reduced to nearly 0%. The use of this effective and environmentally friendly method of pest control also means delicate objects do not need to be treated with aggressive chemicals. The enormous cell stands in a clinically lit space. A gigantic plastic bag hanging from the ceiling traps the excess air from the cell. The door is tightly locked and cannot be opened: the items have just been placed in the cell and have to stay there for at least a month. “It’s also not actually that healthy for humans,” Otte warns. The oxygen-depleted archive that was one of the crime scenes in Dan Brown’s novel Angels and Demons springs to mind... Best get out of here! Modern history The Collection Centre has been designed with future expansion in mind. Compared to other museums that have smaller spaces at their disposal, the centre’s huge storage capacity may seem like a luxury. “But our capacity also has its limits,” says curator of the 20th- and 21st-century collection Annemarie de Wildt. “The criteria for the inclusion of contemporary ob-
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jects are less stringent than for historical pieces. Every case has to be assessed on its own merits. In the end, the first question remains: what are we going to do with it and what does it add? Sometimes it’s just an intuitive decision.” As an example, De Wildt enthusiastically shows off an iconic Amsterdam piece that was saved from a skip. Together, the loose panels represent a snake that until recently covered the façade of the artists’ collective in the Slangenpand (Snake House), the building in the Spuistraat that was squatted in the 1980s. This is not just a renowned symbol of one of the city’s last squatter strongholds, but also forms part of the city’s culture and is a tourist favourite for photographs. “When we found out that the building’s owner, De Key (a housing association, ed.), was going to clear it out, I was determined to include The Snake in our Graffiti exhibition. So we phoned the housing association and the artist, Patries van Elsen. It’s such a perfect reflection of the 1980s and it’s such a strong symbol of Amsterdam. It would have been a shame to let it be destroyed. That’s why we’re storing it here for now.” autumn 2015
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A scale model of a house built in the 1950s by housing association A.W.V. on the Erasmusgracht in Amsterdam.
New neighbourhoods There is an intriguing steel object on the bottom shelf – another last-minute save. It is an ingenious 1950s device to study the incidence of sunlight in buildings. A scale model is placed on a large metal disk that revolves while a lamp simulates sunlight incidence. It was used for the planning of new neighbourhoods in Nieuw-West where light and space were key aspects in the planological design. “Those kinds of things are always in the way when they are kept in a planning department, but they add a lot to our collection. The municipality’s data retention requirement does not apply to objects. Luckily in this case someone phoned us to ask whether we were interested. Of course we were. Not least because of our growth map of Amsterdam which is part of the permanent collection and which shows an animation of the city’s expansion from the year 1000 up until now. It shows how the city has grown, but also that the number of inhabitants gradually decreased over the course of the 20th century. That’s also because there are fewer people living under one roof. After the war, the city expanded considerably with the construction of neighbourhoods that were part of the 1935 Algemeen Uitbreidings Plan (General Development Plan), but those were single-family dwellings. In the old city, whole families used to live in apartments that had been divided into two. We wanted to visualize this development and that’s why we had models made of Amsterdam houses.” De Wildt walks across to a scale model of a 1950s house, like the ones built by Algemene Woningbouw Vereniging in Bos en Lommer. The interior is like a dollhouse with miniature furniture from that time. “It’s what we would call vintage design today, but at the time the designs of Pastoe or Tomado were considered cutting edge.” More than a storage facility The Collection Centre is more than just a central storage facility. “That also explains the name,” Otte explains. Besides worksautumn 2015
COLLECTION
From portrait gallery in the municipal theatre to Rembrandt’s Jewish Bride The most important categories in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum are: paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, books, furniture, textile, glass, ceramics, commemorative coins and applied art. The museum also manages the municipal art collection that is displayed at different locations across town, like the portrait
gallery in the Stadsschouwburg (municipal theatre), the moveable property in the Beurs van Berlage and the period rooms in the
official residence of the mayor. Another important part of the municipal art collection has been accommodated in the Rijksmuseum since it was opened in 1885: the collection of 17th-century paintings that the banker Adriaan van der Hoop left to the city, including Rembrandt’s ‘Jewish Bride’ and ‘Woman Reading a Letter’ by Vermeer.
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paces for researchers, visitors and curators who are preparing exhibitions, the building also includes a restoration workshop and a photo studio where the whole collection is being photographed in high resolution and in colour for the online catalogue. “Wherever we can, we are updating the catalogue with better images and additional descriptions.” This is what the museum has been working on since the move. With such a large collection, it is an enormous task. How many objects are there in the collection? “It depends how you count: whether you count a set as one object or give each element a sub-number and count them each as registered objects,” says Otte. This is essential for the management of the collection, because a storage facility without a system is a black hole in which objects without a number may exist, but never actually reappear. The museum reckons that there are more than 90,000 pieces. Select company At set times, a select gathering takes the ferry across the IJ: the members of the Society of the Amsterdam Museum that
has been active since 2010 as the successor of the The Foundation for the Advancement of the Establishment of a New Historic Museum – commonly known as the ‘Foundation with a Long Name’. This was a 1960s citizens’ initiative to raise money for the acquisition of important pieces from the famous Dreesmann collection, a private collection that the heirs had decided to auction off. The collection, which centred on the history of Amsterdam, was divided into several components. The Foundation with a Long Name bought a number of important pieces from the collection for the Amsterdam Museum, but it still owns the pieces. “The members of the Society are leading collectors from Amsterdam with extensive knowledge of art,” says Spies. “They commit themselves to our museum by taking part in our art circles, each of which focuses on a specific part of the collection. Often they also bring their own objects of special historic interest. It’s a special form of relationship management that fits into the tradition of the museum. Without the collectors from the past, we would not be standing in this storage facility today.” autumn 2015
A N T I Q U A I R S
Polychrome Figural Group of a Lady Playing a Viola da Gamba, Delft, circa 1770
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FEATURE THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE
THE HISTORY OF THE TEXT
Aya Langeveld
ART TRADE IMAGES
Stadsarchief Amsterdam, Mauritshuis, Rijksmuseum
The history of the art trade goes back several millennia, to the days of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. It has continued to evolve over the centuries, with guilds and auctions, specialized experts and now the internet influencing the ways in which art is bought and sold. 064
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he ‘modern history’ of the art trade goes back to the Golden Age. Thanks to the growing economic prosperity and wealth in the Dutch Republic, more and more people could afford to buy art, and the Amsterdam art market flourished. The nouveaux riches, who built massive mansions for themselves, wanted to decorate their walls with art, but they also wanted an aesthetically pleasing interior and if possible a cabinet of curiosities. The Golden Age also marked the advent of picture traders, who focused only on paintings. They did not sell applied art or antiques; this combination was only to come at a later date. “First there was the art trade, and then antiques,
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THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE FEATURE
also in terms of importance,” says Joseph Estié of Salomon Stodel Antiquités, an expert in European porcelain, silver and furniture. “If you look at catalogues, they always start with paintings. Other things like pottery and glassware come afterwards.” He fetches the catalogue of the 1958 Ancient Art and Antique Fair in Delft to prove his point. According to Estié, the word ‘antique’ was not mentioned in an auction catalogue before approximately 1880. The Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal (Dictionary of the Dutch Language, ed.) states that the word was first included in the dictionary in 1895 – around the time that the first antique shops started to appear. “Of course the objects on sale existed before, only now they were labelled as ‘antiques’ and suddenly they became highly prized items. Antiques acquired a status in the 19th century. And after the economy picked up around 1880, people were able to afford luxury items. This is important, because the art and antique trade is extremely sensitive to the economic climate; they are not basic necessities.” Guilds From the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, the majority of artworks were commissioned by the church or by monarchs. In the Middle Ages, guilds started actively selling arts and crafts. During the Golden Age, the Dutch Republic had a strong trading position and the economy prospered, which in turn allowed the art market to thrive. As art became affordable to ordinary citizens, the market expanded significantly. And, following the iron law of trade, where there was demand, there was supply. Art buyers After the fall of Antwerp in 1585, the art trade moved to Amsterdam and the city rapidly became Europe’s art capital. Around 1620, the area of the Sint Antho-
As paintings became widely popular, the choice became more and more varied autumn 2015
nis Breestraat was the lively centre of the Amsterdam art world, with painters’ studios popping up on every corner. Plenty of potential customers passed through the bustling area and the artists saw no shame in commerce: in order to live off their work, they had to sell it, and competition was fierce. Still, less than 10% of the population was wealthy enough to afford the higher-quality works. The ‘common people’ had to settle for a small decorative work from the annual fair or the auction. Paintings were actually relatively cheap compared to other household items. Silverware and other objects with a higher intrinsic value were much more expensive. As paintings became widely popular, the choice became more and more varied in terms of subject matter, price and quality. Great masters, small masters and decorative painters could all live off their artistic production. And as the choice grew, buyers found it increasingly difficult to select quality works. A new player entered the art market: the art dealer. This professional, who had often started off as a painter himself, selected artworks produced by his contemporaries and put them on sale in his shop. Clients valued his specialist opinion. Dutch art thrived, not only because of the favourable economic situation and the success of the world-famous Dutch masters, whose work was included in the most important European art collections of the time. The art dealers also played a crucial role as catalysts. Their relationship with the artists ensured that the works were cleverly marketed. Sales channels The Golden Age also witnessed a growing trade in luxury artefacts and utensils; these were the antiques of the future. Many of these objects were produced on native soil, in the workshops of furniture makers and silversmiths for example. Other items, such as Chinese porcelain or lacquerwork, were brought to Amsterdam by the VOC (United East India Company, ed.). All these objects changed hands through different sales channels, from guilds to auctions. The rise and development of auction houses ran more or less parallel to that of the art market. There was a cross-fertilization: where there was trade, there was an auction, and where there were auctions, there were art dealers. “Auction houses became like antique dealers over the
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FEATURE THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE
01
A photo of art gallery Goudstikker, Herengracht 458, Amsterdam.
centuries,” says Estié. “They started specializing and invested in expertise. The same goes for art dealers. The art trade is increasingly specialized; generalists are rare. You know everything about earthenware or clocks or about a specific period in painting. The power of the art dealer is his expertise. It’s your raison d’être. It’s the reason clients come to you and it allows you to identify the best pieces on the market.” Ancient art and antiques Art and antiques are a matching pair, but they are not one and the same. “It is the art dealers themselves who, from the second half of the 19th century onwards, start displaying antiques in their shops as complimentary objects,” says Estié. “For example, they would display a 17th-century cupboard, which is shown in a Pieter de Hooch painting that they had in their collection. Or they showed off a chair with lions’ heads, because it fitted nicely with a Vermeer picture. They considered this to be stylish. The same was happening across Europe, following the 01 ‘first World Expo’ in London in 1851. The Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park on the occasion of the exhibition, was bedecked with antiques, including chests, cupboards, velvet draperies and all sorts of other items. It was a sensation. The resounding success of the World Expo led to the establishment of the Victoria & Albert Museum, where the pieces that had been acquired at the World Expo were exhibited. The V&A is the oldest, but also the largest museum of applied art. The museum contains very few paintings; those that are on display are there because they are associated with one of the objects. It’s as though they were already able to write, while everyone else was still illiterate. You see? The establishment of the V&A was a trigger and from that point onwards antiques beca-
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me fashionable. But, as we all know, fashion is constantly changing and that is also true in the art and antiques trade.” Antique dealers In Amsterdam, the famous Julius Boas Berg is the first art trader who starts describing himself as an “antique dealer” at the end of the 19th century. His antiques warehouse on the corner of the Kalverstraat and the Duifjessteeg is filled with a dizzying array of objects: from glass and silver to faience; from furniture and military objects to textiles. His prominent clients come from all over Europe, and he often accompanies them on their visits to private collectors. Boas Berg is the leading authority and a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to antiques in this period. And then there is of course the other big name: Jacques Goudstikker, Sr., “the greatest of all times”, who starts buying and collecting large amounts of antiques, in addition to filling his art gallery with them. And so the list of famous art dealers from this period continues to grow, with one new
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THE HISTORY OF THE ART TRADE FEATURE
02
03
View of a picture sale in the inner courtyard of the Oudezijds Heerenlogement in Amsterdam.
Interior with figures in a picture gallery. Gonzales Coques (1614-1684) with many other artists.
History repeats itself, even in the art trade. In the early 20th century, Amsterdam reclaims its position as an important international centre for the art and now also antique trade. A series of prestigious auctions, at Frederik Muller & Co. among others, helps strengthen this position. First the furniture from Heeswijk Castle is auctioned off in Amsterdam and then in 1913 the auction of 32 Rembrandt drawings from the J.P. Hesseltine collection is a sensation, attracting eager foreign art dealers. “Thanks to the strong Dutch guilder during that period, prestigious foreign collections are auctioned off in Amsterdam,” says Estié. “If collectors have to liquidate, then at least here they get hard cash. That’s why the offer at Amsterdam art dealers is so fantastic and of unusually high quality in the following years. It was being brought in by the cartload.”
03
business opening after the next at the turn of the 20th century. In the second half of the 19th century, art dealerships are mainly concentrated around the Nieuwe Hooghstraat and the Zuiderkerk. In the late 19th century, the antique trade moves to the Rokin area and after the opening of the Rijksmuseum in 1885, the Spiegelkwartier also becomes a popular location for art shops, antique dealers and so-called art galleries, where paintings and antiques are displayed in several spaces. There are also renowned antique dealers outside of Amsterdam; they are in every part of the Netherlands.
The World Expo was such a resounding success that it spurred the establishment of the Victoria & Albert Museum autumn 2015
Future of the art and antiques trade From the beginning of the 20th century onwards, traders start organizing ancient art and antiques fairs. These events soon create new and increasingly important sales channels. Among these, PAN Amsterdam and TEFAF Maastricht are two of the most important and most prestigious international art fairs. Art dealers today also use the internet to display a virtual shop-window to potential clients, though their websites are more like virtual visiting cards or teasers. They can never replace the physical shop: clients do not use the website to fill up their shopping basket with an antique porcelain vase in a few clicks. “It has very rapidly become an essential part of the business,” says Estié. “You reach a group of clients who wouldn’t otherwise step into your shop. But still, it remains a complementary tool. A photo of an object is never enough. You have to be able to touch the object, turn it over and, especially, see it with your own eyes. No matter how good your digital photo is, you can’t capture patina and colour.”
01. Around 1912, image Collection Johannes Baptista Bickhoff (1881-1968). Photo: City Archives Amsterdam 02. 1773, print after drawing by Hermanus Petrus Schouten, print-maker Simon Fokke. Photo: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 03. 1672 and 1706, oil on canvas. Photo: Mauritshuis, The Hague
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What makes some collectors choose 17th-century porcelain and others glassware or jewellery? The reasons for choosing a particular material, period or artist are unfathomable. The pieces that Vernis selected at the art and antique dealers affiliated to the Koninklijke VHOK for this edition of Ensemble were thematically chosen and photographed: because everyone loves Amsterdam.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Marie CĂŠcile Thijs PRODUCTION
Caroline Eschbach
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Tulips from Amsterdam FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Peter Korf de Gidts Antiquairs A PAIR OF BOUQUETIÈRES BY HANONG, STRASBOURG, AROUND 1721, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Aronson Antiquairs BLUE WHITE FLOWER VASE WITH A ROOSTER, DELFT, AROUND 1710-1740, PRICE € 12,500.
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Dirk en Dirk-Jan Limburg OCTAGONAL TULIP VASE, MADE UP OF TWO SEGMENTS, MARKED A.K. FOR ADRIANUS KOCX, 1687 - 1701. DE GRIEKSCHE A. POTTERY, PRICE € 14,500.
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Foumani Persian Gallery PLACED ON: ŞARKÖY-KILIM, EARLY 20TH CENTURY, PRICE € 1,250.
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PORTFOLIO ENSEMBLE
Tulips from Amsterdam FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Kunsthandel P. de Boer TULIP BY PIETER HOLSTEYN, GOUACHE ON PAPER, LAST QUARTER OF THE 17TH CENTURY, PRICE € 8,500.
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Kunsthandel P. de Boer TULIP, GOUACHE ON PAPER, AROUND 1700, PRICE € 5,000.
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To the Amsterdam Canals FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Theo Daatselaar Antiquairs PAIR OF LOOSDRECHT FLOWER VASES, AROUND 1778, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Peter Korf de Gidts Antiquairs A BEILBY DECORATED WINE GLASS WITH OPAQUE TWIST STEM. THE BOWL WITH FRUITING VINE MOTIF IN WHITE ENAMEL, LATE 18TH CENTURY, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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To the Amsterdam Canals FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Inter-Antiquariaat Mefferdt & De Jonge 18TH-CENTURY WALL MAP OF AMSTERDAM ON CLOTH, PRICE € 7,850.
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Bruil & Brandsma Works of Art TOBACCO BOX PAINTED WITH IMAGE OF THE BREWERY DE DRIE ROSKAMMEN ON THE AMSTEL RIVER, LATE 18TH/EARLY 19TH CENTURY, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Kunsthandel Jacques Fijnaut SILVER TOBACCO JAR, HERMANUS HEUVEL, AMSTERDAM, 1777, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Frides Laméris Kunst en Antiek (1) CEREMONIAL GOBLET TO DRINK TO THE ‘WELVAAREN VAN DEESEN HUIJSE’, (THE PROSPERITY OF THIS LITTLE HOUSE), ATTRIBUTED TO JACOB SANG (+/- 1720-1786), PRICE UPON REQUEST.
• (2) CEREMONIAL GOBLET WITH THE COAT OF ARMS OF AMSTERDAM, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
• (3) CEREMONIAL GOBLET WITH STIPPLE-ENGRAVED PORTRAIT OF HENRIK HOOFT DANIELSZOON, SEVEN TIMES MAYOR OF AMSTERDAM. ATTRIBUTED TO DAVID WOLFF (1732-1798), PRICE UPON REQUEST.
VOF Jan Beekhuizen Kunst- en Antiekhandel THREE AMSTERDAM MEASURES, MARKED ANDRIES JILDENS, LAST QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY, VARIOUS STAMPS, PRICES UPON REQUEST.
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Foumani Persian Gallery MOGUL GUNPOWDER HOLDER, INDIA, AROUND 1725, PRICE € 950.
( 1 ) ( 3 )
( 2 )
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PORTFOLIO ENSEMBLE
To the Amsterdam Canals FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Aronson Antiquairs MANGANESE AND WHITE OVAL PLAQUE FROM AMSTERDAM WITH FLOWERS, AROUND 1730 - 1740, PRICE € 9,800.
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Dirk en Dirk-Jan Limburg WHEEL-ENGRAVED GOBLET SHOWING THE AMSTERDAM TOWN HALL, GERMAN GLASS WITH A NORTH-NETHERLANDS ENGRAVING, SECOND QUARTER OF THE 18TH CENTURY, PRICE € 3,500.
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ENSEMBLE PORTFOLIO
If only I could keep you in a little box FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Frides Laméris Kunst en Antiek
Kunsthandel Mieke Zilverberg
INDENTED GLASS CUP, ROMAN GLASS, 1ST CENTURY AD, H 11 CM, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
POLYCHROME PAINTED WOODEN FALCON ‘SOKAR’, EGYPT, LATE PERIOD, 5TH-4TH CENTURY BC, H 9.5 CM, PRICE € 5,500.
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Frides Laméris Kunst en Antiek STEMMED CUP, ROMAN GLASS, 1ST CENTURY AD, H 9.9 CM, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Frides Laméris Kunst en Antiek RIBBED BOWL, ROMAN GLASS, 1ST CENTURY BC/ 1ST CENTURY AD, H 5.8 CM, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Frides Laméris Kunst en Antiek IRIDIZED OINTMENT JAR, ROMAN GLASS, 1ST CENTURY AD, H 4.8 CM, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Archea Ancient Art MINIATURE STIRRUP JAR, GREEK, MYCENAEAN, AROUND 1400 BC, H 6 CM, PRICE € 1,500.
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If only I could keep you in a little box FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Kunsthandel Inez Stodel PLATINUM AND DIAMOND DRESS RING, GEORGES LENFANT, FRANCE, 1970, PRICE € 9,800.
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Ruben Aardewerk Antiques MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND SILVER INLAID BODKIN CASE OR ‘BILLET DOUX’, PARIS, AROUND 1770, PRICE € 550.
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Ruben Aardewerk Antiques ENGRAVED MOTHER-OF-PEARL AND BRASS BODKIN CASE, FRANCE, AROUND 1740, PRICE € 385.
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Gude & Meis Antique Clocks
MINIATURE CURVED SWISS SILVER PINK TRANSPARENT GUILLOCHE ENAMEL CLOCK, AROUND 1900, PRICE € 4,250.
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Marjan Sterk Antiquair-Juwelier FOURTEEN-CARAT ROSE GOLD AND SILVER PENDANT/BROOCH ENTIRELY SET WITH ANTIQUE BRILLIANT- AND OCTAGON-CUT DIAMONDS IN ORIGINAL CASE, AROUND 1880, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
Vanderven Oriental Art REVERSE GLASS PAINTING OF A FEMALE PIPE SMOKER, CHINA, QIANLONG PERIOD, SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY, PRICE € 12,500.
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Gude & Meis Antique Clocks MINIATURE SWISS SILVER LIGHT-BLUE TRANSPARENT GUILLOCHE ENAMEL CLOCK, AROUND 1900, PRICE € 4,250.
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Gude & Meis Antique Clocks SWISS SILVER POLYCHROME TRANSPARENT GUILLOCHE ENAMEL CLOCK IN CASING, AROUND 1900, PRICE € 4,750.
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Bruil & Brandsma Works of Art IVORY BOX WITH A DEPICTION OF OVID’S METAMORPHOSES, THE NETHERLANDS, AROUND 1650, PRICE UPON REQUEST.
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Vanderven Oriental Art JADE BILLY GOAT, CHINA, LATE MING DYNASTY, PRICE €12,500.
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Aronson Antiquairs POLYCHROME FIGURE OF A MOUSE, DELFT, 1760-1780, PRICE € 6,250.
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Gude & Meis Antique Clocks MINIATURE SWISS SILVER AND BLUE GUILLOCHE BOUDOIR CLOCK IN CASING, AROUND 1900, PRICE € 4,250.
Kunsthandel Inez Stodel NATURALIST NECKLACE, DIAMOND WITH ORIENT PEARLS, THE NETHERLANDS, AROUND 1850, PRICE € 9,800.
• Aronson Antiquairs
‘WHITE DELFT’ FIGURE OF A SHEEP WITH LAMB, DELFT, AROUND 1770, PRICE € 3,800.
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BO OK S
There are countless books about art, antiques and their history. Vernis has selected the best works for collectors, art lovers and professionals.
BOOKS SPECIAL THANKS TO
Caroline Eschbach
01
Charles Schneider
French art deco glass Schneider’s youth and artistic ambitions come to life in this concise biography. There is a brief overview of the establishment and growth of Verreries Schneider S.A., the factory in Epinay-sur-Seine. The company had two production lines: Schneider and Le Verre Français. There is also a section on the technique of glass etching and engraving, as well as the use of coloured powder, marqueterie and lustre glass. This biographical and technical story is illustrated with historic photos of the family and the company as well as design sketches. These are all by Schneider,
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Maps of Amsterdam 1538-1868
This new standard work is a must-have for anyone who likes (old maps of) Amsterdam. Written in accessible language, this book includes all editions of every map. It shows the extent to which 16th- and 17th-century mapmakers freely copied each other’s work and zooms in on small details that have a story behind them or in which fact and fiction overlap. This edition is the revision of the famous Catalogus van Amsterdamsche Plattegronden (Catalogue of Amsterdam Maps, ed.) from 1934 by A.E. d’Ailly. The book features a topographical overview of the history of the urban development of Amsterdam over the centuries. This makes it one of the most important sources for the study of the history of Amsterdam, particularly for historical topographical research.
as he personally designed all the glass shapes and flora and fauna decors for his designs. The authors also gained access to the family archive, which allowed them to incorporate interesting new data.
By Tiny Esveld and MarieChristine Joulin PUBL. Tiny Esveld, Brasschaat, November 2015 Available at www.tinyesveld.com ISBN 9789081577663 Price € 48
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Kennerschap Bredius Geen Cuyp, wel Calraet
The question of attribution of works is perhaps the most important within art history. The name of the artist largely determines the prestige and value of the artwork in question. But this was not the opinion of Abraham Bredius, founder and donor of the Museum Bredius, who valued precise scientific art-historical research above all else. Rather than the reputation of an existing artist, he was driven by a desire to uncover the truth. As a result, he rediscovered lost treasures and forgotten painters. One example of such a master from the Golden Age is Abraham van Calraet (16421722). From 26 October 2015 to 21 January 2016, Museum Bredius will exhibit more than 20 of his works. Van Calraet usually signed his works with the initials AC. For a long time such works were thought to be by the much greater and more famous Aelbert Cuyp. The two men worked in Dordrecht during the same period and their still lifes bear a certain resemblance to each other. It was Bredius who after extensive archival research
By Marc Hameleers PUBL. THOTH, February 2013 ISBN 9789068686203 Price € 65
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BO OK S
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Asia in Amsterdam The Culture of Luxury in the Golden Age
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Daum Art Deco Glass
A private collection
attributed a group of still lifes with peaches not to Aelbert Cuyp, but to the little-known Abraham van Calraet. This rankled art historian Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, who insisted that Bredius was wrong. The discovery in 1916 of a painting by Van Calraet put an end to the controversy. The work was fully signed and corresponded to the still lifes which had been under discussion. Bredius was triumphant. He bought the painting and later bequeathed it to the Mauritshuis. Together with 20 other works by Van Calraet, the painting is now on display in this
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exhibition, which also includes loans from the Dordrechts Museum, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the Mauritshuis, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, the Kröller-Müller Museum and several private lenders.
By Charles Dumas, Fred G. Meijer, Sander Paarlberg e.a. PUBL. Museum Bredius, The Hague, October 2015, catalogue of the exhibition ‘Geen Cuyp, wel Calraet’ in Museum Bredius (26 October 2015 - 21 January 2016) Available at Museum Bredius, Den Haag ISBN 9789048438143 Price € 15
Leo and Irina Esterkin’s collection is impressive, and provides a beautiful example of what Daum produced between 1910 and 1940. The book covers everything from the transitional years between Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Daum’s quest for a new style, which culminated in deeply etched vases with geometric decorations and, later, blown vases in crystal. Featuring many rare pieces, the Esterkin collection is also unique in its completeness. The book is illustrated with beautiful photos of more than 300 objects.
By Tiny Esveld PUBL. Leonid Esterkin, October 2015 Available at www.tinyesveld.com ISBN 9789081577656 Price € 150
The arrival of Asian treasures from China, Japan, India and Batavia in the 17th century was a great sensation. Lacquer, ivory, silver, silk, ebony, jewellery and large quantities of porcelain were brought to Amsterdam by the Dutch East India Company and then spread through Europe. In this Englishlanguage exhibition catalogue more than 25 expert authors describe the most beautiful objects from Asia which embellished the interiors of the everwealthier Dutch elite and which changed European tastes from Paris to St. Petersburg for good.
By Jan van Campen, Femke Diercks, Karina Corrigan (ed.), with contributions by more than 25 experts PUBL. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, October 2015, as part of the exhibition in the Rijksmuseum: ‘Asia > Amsterdam, Luxury in the Golden Age’ (17 October 2015-17 January 2016) Available at Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, paperback, 356 pages Price € 40 English edition only
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LIST OF MEMBERS
LIST OF MEMBER S All contact details of members of the Royal Association of Dealers in Ancient Art in the Netherlands, plus information on their specialty. NOORD-HOLLAND AMSTERDAM ALGEMEENE ETHNOGRAFICAEN KUNSTHANDEL AALDERINK SPIEGELGRACHT 15 1017 JP AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6230211 INFO@AALDERINKORIENTALART.NL WWW.AALDERINKORIENTALART.NL ASIAN ART, ETHNOGRAPHY, PRE-COLUMBIAN ART
ARCHEA ANCIENT ART NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 37 1017 DC AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6250552 INFO@ARCHEA.NL WWW.ARCHEA.NL ARCHEOLOGY
E.H. ARIËNS KAPPERS KEIZERSGRACHT 208 1016 DX AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6235356 INFO@MASTERPRINTS.NL WWW.MASTERPRINTS.NL OLD (JAPANESE) PRINTS, MAPS AND CHARTS
ARONSON ANTIQUAIRS NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 39 POSTBUS 15556 1001 NB AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6233103 MAIL@ARONSON.COM WWW.ARONSON.COM DELFTWARE
VOF JAN BEEKHUIZEN KUNST EN ANTIEKHANDEL NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 49 1017 DD AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20 6263912 INFO@JANBEEKHUIZEN. AMSTERDAM WWW.JANBEEKHUIZEN. AMSTERDAM EUROPEAN PEWTER, SCULPTURES, FOLK ART
J.P. BEELING VAN EEGHENSTRAAT 20 1071 GG AMSTERDAM +31 (0)6-24905541 JP@BEELING.NL ASIAN PORCELAIN
KUNSTHANDEL P. DE BOER HERENGRACHT 512 1017 CC AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6236849 +31 (0)6-21520044 INFO@KUNSTHANDELPDEBOER.COM WWW.KUNSTHANDELPDEBOER.COM OLD MASTERS
BORZO MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART KEIZERSGRACHT 516 1017 EJ AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6263303 +31 (0)6-53163808 PAUL@BORZO.COM WWW.BORZO.COM MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
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BRUIL & BRANDSMA WORKS OF ART NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 68 1017 DH AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-4207359 BBC@CHELLO.NL WWW.BB-ART.COM MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART, FOLK ART
GALLERY DELAIVE MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART SPIEGELGRACHT 23 1017 JP AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6259087 GALLERY.DELAIVE@WXS.NL WWW.DELAIVE.COM MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
DOUWES FINE ART (ANNO 1805) STADHOUDERSKADE 40 1071 ZD AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6646362 INFO@DOUWESFINEART.COM WWW.DOUWESFINEART.COM OLD MASTERS, 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY PAINTINGS
KUNSTHANDEL JACQUES FIJNAUT NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 31 1017 DC AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6256374 OFFICE@KUNSTHANDELFIJNAUT.NL WWW.KUNSTHANDELFIJNAUT.NL GENERAL ANTIQUARIAN
FOUMANI PERSIAN GALLERY BEETHOVENSTRAAT 107A 1077 HX AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6797430 INFO@FOUMANI.COM WWW.FOUMANI.COM CARPETS, KILIMS
GUDE & MEIS ANTIQUE CLOCKS NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 60 1017 DH AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6129742 +31 (0)6-53162962 INFO@GUDEMEIS.COM WWW.GUDEANTIQUECLOCKS.COM CLOCKS, BAROMETERS, INSTRUMENTATION
MATHIEU HART ANTIQUITEITEN SINDS 1878 ROKIN 122 1012 LC AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6231658 MHART@XS4ALL.NL WWW.HARTANTIQUES.COM GENERAL ANTIQUARIAN
KUNSTHANDEL FRANS JACOBS THE TERRAZE BUILDING EMMY ANDRIESSESTRAAT 582 1087 NE AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6381729 INFO@JACOBSFINEART.COM WWW.JACOBSFINEART.COM 20TH AND 21TH CENTURY PAINTINGS
PETER KORF DE GIDTS ANTIQUAIRS BROUWERSGRACHT 869 1015 GK AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6252625 KORFDEGIDTS@XS4ALL.NL GLASS, POTTERY, PORCELAIN
FRIDES LAMÉRIS KUNST EN ANTIEKHANDEL NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 55 1017 DD AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6264066 INFO@FRIDESLAMERIS.NL WWW.FRIDESLAMERIS.NL GLASS, POTTERY, (ASIAN) PORCELAIN
KUNSTHANDEL FRANS LEIDELMEIJER LIJNBAANSGRACHT 369H 1017 XB AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6254627 FRANS@LEIDELMEIJER.NL WWW.LEIDELMEIJER.NL ART NOUVEAU, ART DECO, 20TH-CENTURY DESIGN
INTER-ANTIQUARIAAT MEFFERDT & DE JONGE BERNARD ZWEERSKADE 18 1077 TZ AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6640841 INTERANTIQUARIAAT@CHELLO.NL WWW.INTER-ANTIQUARIAAT.NL ANTIQUARIAN BOOKS, DRAWINGS, PRINTS, MAPS AND CHARTS
JOSEPH M. MORPURGO HERENGRACHT 119 (RECHTER DEUR) 1015 BG AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6235883 J.M.MORPURGO@WAFELMAN.NL WWW.ANTIQUEARTMORPURGO.COM GENERAL ANTIQUARIAN, ASIAN ART
JAN MORSINK IKONEN KEIZERSGRACHT 454 1016 GE AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6200411 INFO@MORSINK.COM WWW.MORSINK.COM ICONS
VAN NIE ANTIQUAIRS KEIZERSGRACHT 600 1017 EP AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6261594 INFO@VANNIEANTIQUAIRS.COM WWW.VANNIEANTIQUAIRS.COM GENERAL ANTIQUARIAN
KUNSTHANDEL PETER PAPPOT NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 30-34 1017 DG AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6242637 INFO@PAPPOT.COM WWW.PETERPAPPOT.COM 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY PAINTINGS
POLAK WORKS OF ART SPIEGELGRACHT 3 1017 JP AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6279009 WWW.FINEARTDEALERS.INFO/ JAAPPOLAK AZIATISCHE KUNST, ETNOGRAFICA
PREMSELA & HAMBURGER
KUNSTZALEN A. VECHT
ROKIN 98 1012 KZ AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6275454 WIET@PREMSELA.COM WWW.PREMSELA.COM JEWELRY, GOLD, SILVER
NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 40 1017 DG AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6234748 A.VECHT@PLANET.NL WWW.VECHT-WORKSOFART.NL GENERAL ANTIQUARIAN
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ROBERT SCHREUDER ANTIQUAIR NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 48 1017 DG AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6754867 +31 (0)6-24289550 INFO@ROBERTSCHREUDER.NL WWW.ROBERTSCHREUDER.NL GRAND TOUR SOUVENIRS, 18TH- AND 19TH-CENTURY FURNITURE
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DR. A. WIEG FINE ART MINERVALAAN 77-1 1077 NT AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20 6762094 WIEGFINEART@GMAIL.COM OLD MASTERS, 19TH AND 20TH-CENTURY PAINTINGS
KUNSTHANDEL MIEKE ZILVERBERG ROKIN 60 1012 KV AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20-6259518 INFO@MIEKEZILVERBERG.COM WWW.MIEKEZILVERBERG.COM ARCHEOLOGY, ANCIENT NUMISMATICS
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autumn 2015
LIST OF MEMBERS
KUNSTCONSULT 20TH CENTURY ART | OBJECTS SMEDERIJ 4 1185 ZR AMSTELVEEN +31 (0)20-3416476 +31 (0)6-24960196 INFO@KUNSTCONSULT.NL WWW.KUNSTCONSULT.NL ART NOUVEAU, ART DECO, 20TH-CENTURY DESIGN
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ZUID-HOLLAND OTHERS RUBEN AARDEWERK ANTIQUES ZWALUWLAAN 9A 2261 BP LEIDSCHENDAM +31 (0)70-4190575 RUBEN@AARDEWERKANTIQUES.COM WWW.AARDEWERKANTIQUES.COM ART AND COLLECTIBLES FROM THE 17TH, 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY
ADRIAAN GROENEWOUD ANTIQUITEITEN & OUDE KUNST AELBRECHTSKOLK 3B 3025 HA ROTTERDAM +31 (0)10-4258011 INFO@ADRIAANGROENEWOUD.NL WWW.ADRIAANGROENEWOUD.NL FURNITURE FROM THE 17TH, 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY
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HOTEI JAPANESE PRINTS
ZUID-HOLLAND ’S-GRAVENHAGE A. AARDEWERK ANTIQUAIR JUWELIER JAN VAN NASSAUSTRAAT 76 2596 BV ‘S-GRAVENHAGE +31 (0)70-3240987 SILVER@AARDEWERK.COM WWW.AARDEWERK.COM SILVER, JEWELRY
KUNSTHANDEL IVO BOUWMAN JAN VAN NASSAUSTRAAT 80 2596 BW ’S-GRAVENHAGE +31 (0)70-3283660 INFO@IVOBOUWMAN.NL WWW.IVOBOUWMAN.NL 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY PAINTINGS
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FIRMA S. VAN LEEUWEN NOORDEINDE 164-164A 2514 GR ‘S-GRAVENHAGE +31 (0)70-3653907 ALEXANDER@VANLEEUWENANTIQUAIRS.NL WWW.VANLEEUWENANTIQUAIRS.NL 17TH- AND 18TH-CENTURY ANTIQUES, (ASIAN) PORCELAIN
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autumn 2015
RAPENBURG 19 2311 GE LEIDEN +31 (0)71-5143552 UKIYOE@XS4ALL.NL WWW.HOTEI-JAPANESE-PRINTS.COM JAPANESE PRINTS, PAINTINGS AND BOOKS
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JACOB J. ROOSJEN, SRI® EENDRACHTLAAN 33 3621 DD BREUKELEN +31 (0)6-53268280 JACOB.ROOSJEN@GMAIL.COM WWW.JACOBROOSJEN.COM WWW.SILVERRESEARCHINSTITUTE.COM SILVER
GRONINGEN BERNARD C.M. GRIJPMA KUNST EN ANTIEK GEDEMPTE ZUIDERDIEP 121-123 9711 HE GRONINGEN +31 (0)50-3137703 INFO@GRIJPMAANTIEK.NL WWW.GRIJPMAANTIEK.NL ANTIQUE WEAPONS, NAUTICA, SILVER
DRENTHE
SIMONIS & BUUNK KUNSTHANDEL
LIMBURG
WIJERMARS FINE ART
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OVERIJSSEL HEUTINK IKONEN AHNEMSTRAAT 21 8043 RE ZWOLLE +31 (0)38-4659524 HEUTINKIKONEN@GMAIL.COM WWW.HEUTINKIKONEN.NL ICONS
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VAN KRANENDONK DUFFELS LONDON +44 7595 245819 MILAN +39 335 6262252 VANKRANENDONKDUFFELS@GMAIL.COM WWW.VKDJEWELS.CO.UK JEWELLERY
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HONORARY MEMBERS: MRS A. WAFELMAN-MORPURGO MR A.C. BEELING
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FLORIS VAN WANROIJ FINE ART BERGSTRAAT 52 5551 AX DOMMELEN +31 (0)40-2040596 INFO@FLORIS-ART.COM WWW.FLORIS-ART.COM OLD MASTERS, MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART
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ZEELAND
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FABERY DE JONGE RONDWEG 14 4524 KC SLUIS +31 (0)6-53923227 FABERYDEJONGE@HETNET.NL JUWELERY
SEE MORE AT WWW.KVHOK.NL/LEDEN
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A N T IQU E OF T H E F U T U R E
TULIP VASE II DAAN BROUWER It takes one look for experts to see whether a contemporary object will resist the ravages of time and qualifies as an antique of the future. Dick Endlich of John Endlich Antiquairs in Haarlem explains why the 2014 Tulip Vase II by Daan Brouwer will still be a favourite in 100 years. TEXT
Mischa van de Woestijne
uality is timeless. The 17th- and 18th-century pieces that are in high demand today were already popular when they were produced. Back then, collectors also knew exactly what they wanted. Collectors buy with the long term in mind and they can spot objects that have a timeless value. Quality is a key factor in that respect, regardless of whether it’s a piece of furniture, a silver object or a painting. Quality, knowledge and skill are closely related and this is one of the areas where Daan Brouwer distinguishes himself. After training as a goldand silversmith, he got a degree in restoration at ICN, the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage. He learned a lot about the craft and working methods of 17th- and 18thcentury Dutch silversmiths, and this is apparent in his work. He designs without using computers and he doesn’t use moulds or casting. He hammers his vases according to the traditional method, but he is also
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progressive and modern in his design. That makes this vase more than a utilitarian object, it is a sculpture, an object that one enjoys looking at. His working method automatically limits his production, another condition for an object to qualify as an antique of the future. This vase is the second in the series, but the series will always remain very limited; no two vases are the same. Still, none of this offers a guarantee. For example, in my field we see that silver coffeepots
and tobacco jars have fallen out of favour. They used to be in high demand, but they are no longer in fashion because people prepare coffee differently now and fewer people smoke. On the other hand, even here we see that there is still a demand for the best pieces. Quality takes no notice of fashion fads.” Mischa van de Woestijne is a freelance
journalist.
autumn 2015
ESTABLISHED 1980
GUDE & MEIS ANTIQUE CLOCKS NIEUWE SPIEGELSTRAAT 60 1017 DH AMSTERDAM +31 (0)20 612 9742 INFO@GUDEMEIS.COM WWW.GUDEMEIS.COM